The Florida Gators are in Dallas as they will continue their preparation for Wednesday’s Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma.
Cornerback Marco Wilson has opted out of the game, cornerback Chester Kimbrough and linebacker Jesiah Pierre have both announced they’re transferring heading into the game.
That means the Gators will rely on several others to help man this defense that has struggled for much of the year.
The bowl game is always a good time to look into the future and see what you have returning and GatorCountry looks at five guys we want to see play a lot on Wednesday.
This is Part Two of this series as we first looked at guys on offense.
Linebacker Tyron Hopper- Hopper played in 10 games this year and showed off his ability in pass coverage and several of those games. Hopper is the future at the linebacker position and someone the coaching staff is very high on. Getting Hopper some more game time this week is huge for him heading into the offseason.
Linebacker Derek Wingo- Wingo was the huge get for the Gators in last year’s class and he played in 8 games this year. The linebacker was slow to get out of the gate because he wasn’t able to practice to start the year but when he’s been on the field, his ability has shown. Wingo is the athletic linebacker that the Gators have been missing and is a good 1-2 punch with Hopper.
Defensive end Princely Umanmielen- Umanmielen has played in six games this year and in those games he has looked impressive with his get off the ball. Umanmielen has accounted for two sacks already and the ability is there for Princely, the key is getting him ready to be a four down end for the Gators next year.
Defensive tackle Jalen Lee- Lee has played in four games this year and has two tackles and forced a fumble against Missouri and at 315 pounds, the Gators are going to need to him to fill up the middle of the line next year. Lee is someone the coaching staff is high on and despite his size, he’s quick off the ball.
Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter- Dexter has played in all 11 games so he played this year but I would like to see him get more snaps early in the game. Dexter has 18 tackles on the year but he’s the future at the position so now is a good time to get him even more snaps.