Looking ahead to the 2021 season, Florida has a veteran presence at most positions across the board. But the Gators have plenty of fourth or fifth year players with something left to prove late in their careers.
With that in mind, we put together our list of the five veteran Gators who need to step up for Florida to have success this season.
TE Kemore Gamble
It is going to be hard for anyone to follow up the season Kyle Pitts had in 2020. Setting realistic expectations here is important considering he had one of the greatest seasons by a tight end in history.
While no one expects Gamble of Keon Zipperer or anyone on the roster to do what Pitts did, he set the bar high, and going back to seeing little to no production from tight ends at Florida just isn’t acceptable.
Gamble waited his turn and will now have an opportunity to start in his fifth year. He saw some meaningful playing time in 2020 with Pitts sidelined for a couple of games, and went on to make 10 catches for 160 yards and three touchdowns.
Along with Gamble and Zipperer, the Gators will also have redshirt freshman Jonathan Odom and a pair of true freshmen in Nick Elksnis and Gage Wilcox. The young guys had some shining moments this spring, but Florida will look to the veterans to lead the way.
“I think Kemore Gamble has really stepped up,” said tight ends coach Tim Brewster. “I think he’s gotten stronger. He’s being more competitive. He needed to improve in the run game, but he’s really showing that he can be a complete player.”
RB Dameon Pierce
The Gators currently have more running backs on the roster than they know what to do with. That is a great problem to have, but at this point, no one has separated themselves from the pack.
Seeing success from transfers like Demarkcus Bowman and Lorenzo Lingard would be ideal, but for now, it is more rational to look for added production from the guys who have been there before.
Pierce led the team with 503 rushing yards and four scores, along with 156 receiving yards and a touchdown catch in 2020.
With the offense putting more emphasis on the run game this season, Pierce is ready to take on added responsibility as a senior.
“We trust them to put us in the best position possible to make plays,” Pierce said.” This year, it may be a little more running … There’s obviously more options to run the ball. We’re gonna work with that. We’re going to play with that and see how that feels and see how that looks.”
S Trey Dean
In an extremely young secondary, senior Trey Dean is the leader alongside Kaiir Elam.
Dean has played all over the defensive backfield in his time at Florida, but he found a home at safety. With Bran Stewart, Shawn Davis and Donovan Stiner all gone, it is especially important to see a jump from Dean in his fourth year.
He had 34 tackles, a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery last season. Now, he is on track to finally see that uptick in production the Gators have been waiting on since he arrived on campus.
“Trey has a tremendous work ethic,” said secondary coach Wesley McGriff. “Of course, he has all the measurables, size and speed, tremendous energy. Sometimes you have to tone him down, which is great quality. But to have an opportunity to have a young man like that in your room and coaching him, that’s what you live for. That’s what you dream of.”
LB Amari Burney
Burney is another player who has made his rounds at different positions in Florida’s defense. He showed incredible promise on the practice field and in limited action as a freshman, but he hasn’t quite had his breakout moment yet as he enters his senior year.
In a struggling defense last season, he finished fourth on the team with 52 tackles (2.5 tackles for loss) and a couple of sacks.
This season, he rejoins fellow veterans Ventrell Miller and Mohamoud Diabate to lead the way for the linebacker unit. After a disappointing 2020, Burney knows there is a lot left to improve on in 2021.
“We have to make the plays,” Burney said. “We can’t have so many mistakes. This offseason has been very intense. Every day getting in the film room, looking at the little things, the attention to detail, just knowing your assignment and playing ball. If we play fast, physical and aggressive, we’re going to make plays. It’s going to be very fun.”
DL Brenton Cox
The former five-star and Georgia transfer made some big plays for the Gators last season, but also made several costly ones or simply disappeared at times.
Cox started every game and tallied 41 tackles with an impressive 9.5 for loss. Easily the best pass rusher on the team, Cox had four sacks on 18 quarterback hurries.
Consistency is the key for him moving forward, as head coach Dan Mullen noted this spring that his ceiling is perfect, but he has to raise his floor. Eliminating those poor plays could make him one of the better defensive ends in the SEC.
With Cox playing on the opposite end of Zachary Carter and transfers Antonio Valentino and Daquan Newkirk stuffing the middle, Florida’s defensive line has a ton of potential in 2021.
“He looks good,” running back Malik Davis said of Cox. “He’s more knowledgeable. He’s being that leader on the defense, coaching guys up. He’s becoming that all-around player. In practice, he gives us a little trouble. He’s doing what he’s supposed to do.”