Florida’s defense ranked 87th in points allowed and 84th in yards allowed amongst division one teams a season ago.
With newly hired coordinator Austin Armstrong taking control of the defense and Corey Raymond now overseeing the entire secondary, the Gators will look to improve on a rough 2022 season.
Gator Country provides five potential breakout players on the Florida’s defense in 2023.
CB DEVIN MOORE / SOPHOMORE
The 6-3, 188-pound cornerback broke onto the scene in Gainesville right away, earning first team reps during his first fall camp as a Florida Gator.
Although Moore didn’t start, he worked his way into the rotation as a true freshman, logging 167 snaps in five games before suffering a season ending shoulder injury which required surgery. Moore totaled six tackles (four solo) while posting a tackling grade of 83.4, according to PFF. His tackling grade ranked second on the Gators’ defense, trailing only Kamari Wilson. In 81 run defense snaps, Moore posted a run defense grade of 75.4, the fourth highest on the team. His overall grade of 68.0 ranked 9th on the Gators’ defense amongst players with 100+ snaps.
The Naples, Florida native was extremely limited throughout all of spring camp as he was working his way back from injury. Moore spent most of his time participating in individual drills off to the side and didn’t see the practice field until the last week of spring camp.
Florida’s staff believes that Moore has the ability to be a very special player throughout his time in Gainesville.
“Devin has a chance to be really special,” defensive backs coach Corey Raymond said during the last week of spring camp. “He’s been working hard coming back from this injury. Really, today was the first day coming back out there. He’s got a little rust on him, but you can see the flashes.”
If Moore is 100% healthy and ready to go by fall camp, I believe he’ll earn a starting spot at cornerback and will become be an impactful player in 2023.
LB SHEMAR JAMES / SOPHOMORE
Much like Devin Moore, Shemar James made a bunch of noise early on after arriving in Gainesville.
The Alabama native totaled 47 tackles (18 solo), two sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery across 368 snaps, the most by Gators’ true freshman in 2022. James’ coverage grade of 62.8 ranked first amongst Gator linebacker’s last season.
James’ strong effort off the field this offseason created lots of buzz for the versatile linebacker and could lead to more production in year two.
“If I had to come up with one guy that you know is a tremendous example to his teammates, that would be Shemar James,” strength and conditioning coach Mark Hocke said during spring camp. “You know he was just a pup last year. He learned from two great leaders in Ventrell Miller and Amari Burney. And now I think he’s stepping into year two. He has a better understanding of the offseason program and season expectations and he’s got a chance to flash.”
The 6-1, 228-pound linebacker was one of six players on the Gators to clean 335 pounds during the offseason.
With Ventrell Miller and Amari Burney headed to the NFL, James becomes a strong candidate to start in a fairly deep linebacker room.
DL CHRIS MCCLELLAN / SOPHOMORE
Chris McClellan is another second-year player that could take a huge jump in 2023.
After averaging just over ten snaps a game through the first four games of the season, McClellan averaged over 25 snaps a game in the remaining nine contests.
The pure strength on the 6-3, 321-pound defensive tackle stood out to me in 2022.
“Potential is endless,” defensive line coach Sean Spencer said on McClellan. “It’s just a word we throw around but it’s endless. He’s got the physical tools, he has a strong lower body, he can pass rush, he can hold the point, he’s 320 pounds, he’s got broad shoulders and he might not fit through that door. But he’s got broad shoulders and a great lower body so we’re excited about him.”
I expect McClellan to start besides transfer Cam’Ron Jackson, but either way, playing time won’t be at a premium for the Oklahoma native.
DL CAM JACKSON / JUNIOR
Cam Jackson may have already broken out at the collegiate level, but not in front of Gator Nation.
The Memphis transfer started 13 games along the Tigers’ defensive line in 2022, totaling 41 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, four quarterback hurries, and one pass breakup in 577 snaps. Jackson’s production earned him Third-Team All-AAC, according to PFF.
Jackson may be 6-6, 355 pounds, but he doesn’t move like he is. His athleticism turned heads this spring.
“He can move. He’s very, very limber, I mean he can move,” defensive line coach Sean Spencer said this spring. “He’s got great balance, strong at the point of attack. For a guy that’s 6-foot-7, he can move. He’s pretty impressive.”
It’s expected that Cam Jackson and Desmond Watson rotate throughout the 2023 season in order to keep of them fresh for four quarters.
CB JASON MARSHALL / JUNIOR
The Miami, Florida native has started 19 games throughout his first two seasons in Gainesville. However, the best has yet to come for the junior cornerback.
“I’ll say Jason Marshall,” defensive back coach Corey Raymond said on who has improved the most from last season. “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.”
Marshall has played an impressive 1,320 snaps in two seasons, totaling 52 tackles (35 solo), three tackles for loss, two interceptions, and 13 pass deflections.
Teammate Miguel Mitchell believes something greater is in store for the third-year defensive back.
“Jason’s been a great player in my opinion, but he’s taking that game to the next level, you know he’s going on his third year, he’s got a lot of experience under his belt, I feel like this will be his go get it year,” Mitchell said during spring camp.
These five players will play a huge role in the Gators’ defense and will likely determine how much improvement we see in 2023.