The STAR position has been a revolving door for the Gators since Chauncey Gardner-Johnson left following the 2018 season.
Trey Dean played the first nine games at the position in 2019. He never looked comfortable there, and he isn’t quick enough or a good enough open-field tackler to succeed there. He was replaced by Marco Wilson for the final four games of the season.
Wilson enjoyed some success there, but UF needed him to move back outside in 2020. Brad Stewart took over at STAR after his suspension ended in week three. Stewart struggled to cover anybody along with the rest of the secondary and opted not to return to college for another year.
The STAR position is perhaps the most important spot in Todd Grantham’s defense. It is a hybrid cornerback, safety and linebacker position that requires a player capable of covering, tackling and blitzing with near equal proficiency. Grantham likes to make offenses worry about what the STAR is going to do on a given play.
Because the STAR is heavily involved in every aspect of the defensive scheme, he arguably has a larger impact on the defense’s success than any other individual player. It should be no surprise, then, that the quality of defense the Gators have fielded under Grantham has reflected the quality of play they’ve gotten at STAR.
Gardner-Johnson played outstanding in 2018, and the Gators’ defense followed suit. Dean and Wilson were inconsistent in 2019, and so was the entire defense. Stewart played horribly last year, and the defense played horrifically.
As the Gators prepare to embark on another season, they think they’ve found the right guy at STAR. Tre’Vez Johnson was only a three-star recruit in the class of 2020, but the Gators recruited him specifically to play STAR.
He played cornerback and safety in high school. He’s fast, physical, aggressive and instinctive, which is everything you need to play well at the position.
Johnson believes he is a perfect fit for the position, and he’s worked hard this offseason to refine every aspect of his game.
“I’m just trying to improve my game, whether it be covering, whether it be me being in the box tackling, fitting up and being physical,” Johnson said. “And just watching how Chauncey and other guys in the league doing it at a high level; I just try to take a little bit from their game, too.”
Johnson gained some valuable experience as a freshman last fall. He appeared in all 12 games and made 15 tackles, two pass breakups and an interception. He spelled Stewart at STAR and also got some reps at safety.
“I think it could have been better, obviously,” he said. “I’m not satisfied with how I played. Right now, I’m just working on improving every day, trying to progress every day, get better every day in one little aspect of my game.
“I’m just trying to improve physically and mentally, especially the mental part. Again, I think that’s something I had to make a transition to from last year. It’s not just about going out there and playing. You’ve got to know football; you’ve got to know tendencies and stuff like that. So, I’m just trying to improve my game mentally as well as physically.”
He’s continuing to cross-train at safety this fall camp, but he’s expected to be the Gators’ starter at STAR on Sept. 4.
To prepare for the larger number of snaps he figures to play and increase his physicality, Johnson added about 10 pounds over the offseason and is up to around 200 pounds. He believes his improved physique and getting to go through his first normal offseason in college will allow him to take that next step from promising young player to reliable playmaker.
“Last year, training camp, we didn’t have a training camp for real, so kind of slow,” Johnson said. “Coming out this training camp, it’s really a grind. We’ve got to lock in. So, it’s good. I enjoy it. I feel like it brings the team together, let’s us come together more, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I think it’s an improvement.”
It better be an improvement. The Gators are counting on Johnson to make a world of difference in the secondary.
It’s taken more than two years, but the Gators are confident that they’ve finally found the right STAR.