BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Three Gators were named to the Preseason Coaches All-SEC Team, the conference announced Tuesday.
The trio – Trevor Etienne (Third Team), Jason Marshall Jr. (Third Team) and Princely Umanmielen (Third Team) also all earned Preseason All-SEC honors by the media at SEC Media Days.
A Freshman All-SEC selection, Etienne played in all 13 games in his freshman season and finished second on the team in rushing yards (719) and yards per carry (6.1). His 719 yards on the ground ranked fourth-most by a freshman in program history. Etienne recorded two 100-yard games against South Carolina (100 yds.) and at Florida State (129 yds.). A member of the 2022-23 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll and the 2023 Paul Hornung Award watch list, his 85-yard touchdown run was tied for the sixth-longest by an FBS running back last year, the seven-longest in school history and the second-longest scoring rush by a freshman in program history. On special teams, Etienne returned 17 kicks for 421 yards, totaling 100 yards in three returns vs. LSU.
“Just stay focused. Stay hungry and stay dedicated,” Etienne said during fall camp. “Last year a lot of people would say I had a great season but we all feel like we could do better as a team. Just staying hungry and staying humble. Keep working.”
Entering his third season with the Gators, Marshall Jr. has played in all 26 games with 19 starts, including starting all 13 last season. He led the team in pass breakups with eight and allowed zero touchdowns in over 300-plus coverage snaps according to PFF. The publication also had him leading the SEC in the lowest completion rate in coverage in his freshman season at 36.8%. In two seasons he has totaled 52 tackles (35 solo), 11 pass breakups, three tackles for loss and two interceptions. A representative of Florida at this year’s SEC Media Days, Marshall Jr. was tabbed as a potential first-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft by ESPN.
“I’ll say Jason Marshall,” defensive back coach Corey Raymond said on the guy who’s improved the most since last year. “He got better. As the season started progressing you saw the climb in his play, which, you know, he was a highly recruited guy, everybody recruited him. You see that coming out right now.”
“Just being a pro, doing everything the right way,” Raymond said on Marshall. “Working extra, working hard at practice, doing all those little things. He’s doing that. It’s like he’s ready to be a professional and he’s working like that to be a professional.”
Last season, Umanmielen had a breakout season and led the Gators in tackles for loss (9.5) and sacks (4.5) while ranking second in quarterback hurries (5). Tabbed to both the 2023 Bednarik Award and Lombardi Award watch list, he notched eight games with a TFL, including the last five straight outings. Against Missouri last season, he had 3.0 tackles for loss totaling 14 yards with a sack in six total tackles. At Texas A&M, Umanmielen recorded three tackles with 2.0 loss and a solo sack to go with two quarterback hurries that he repeated again the following week vs. South Carolina. The two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member returns as the top-ranked SEC EDGE by PFF with a grade of 82.1.
“I just always wanted to be one of the top guys in college football, and I just feel like I have the ability and the opportunity to do that this year,” Umanmielen said during fall camp.