Four Florida Gators in Austin Barber, Trevor Etienne, Jason Marshall Jr. and Princely Umanmielen earned Pro Football Focus (PFF) Preseason All-SEC honors, the publication announced on July 17th, 2023.
PFF is a sports analytics company that focuses on in-depth analysis of the NFL and Division one football. PFF grades both team and individual performances while using a 0-100 grading scale. Describing in its simplest form, PFF watches, charts, and scores every play within a football game, grading every player on every play.
Marshall Jr. and Umanielen were named to the first team while Barber and Etienne were selected to the third team.
You can find the rest of the preseason All-SEC team here: 2023 Preseason All-SEC Team: LSU QB Jayden Daniels earns first-team spot | College Football | PFF
JASON MARSHALL / CB / JR. / MIAMI, FLA. / FIRST TEAM
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.
PRINCELY UMANMIELEN / EDGE / JR. / MANOR, TEXAS / FIRST TEAM
Last season, Umanmielen led the Gators in tackles for loss (9.5) and sacks (4.5) while ranking second in quarterback hurries (5). He notched eight games with a TFL, including the last five straight outings. Against Missouri last season, he had 3.0 tackles for a 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 also had 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.
Umanmielen also ranked second on the Gators in both run defense and pressure in 2022, according to PFF.
AUSTIN BARBER / OT / R-SOPH. / JACKSONVILLE, FLA. / THIRD TEAM
The College Football News Freshman All-American First-Team selection appeared in all 13 games last season with five starts at right tackle. Barber ranked fifth among the offensive line with 655 snaps last season (second highest among UF offensive line returners) and was second with a run block grade of 78.8, only behind Consensus All-American and second-round pick O’Cyrus Torrence. The Gators finished the 2022 regular season as the third-most productive offense in the nation and best in the conference in yards per carry (5.84). Florida ran the ball for an average of 213.7 yards per game in 2022, which ranked 16th in the FBS and third in the SEC. Florida only allowed 13 sacks in the regular season, ranking tied for second fewest in the SEC and 16th in the FBS.
Barber’s 2022 offensive grade of 79.3 is the second highest mark amongst returning offensive players, trailing only Ricky Pearsall (80.3). The 6-6, 305-pound tackle allowed just one sack in 327 pass protection opportunities at both left and right tackle.
TREVOR ETIENNE / RB / SOPH. / JENNINGS, LA. / THIRD TEAM
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, 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.
Etienne’s offensive grade of 76.7 ranked 5th on the Gators offense in 2022 and is the third highest returning figure.