Shemar James details injury, rest of the linebacker room

It was clear how important Shemar James was to a defense that seemingly got worse after his injury in the loss to Georgia in 2023. For a team that suffered four straight losses while allowing a total of 1,914 yards during that span, a major change was needed. We are just a couple days into spring practice in year three of Billy Napier, and the Gators are close to getting their leader back on defense.

“It’s going pretty good. I’m right on schedule with the recovery process,” James said on his recovery. “I’m kind of just taking it slow, trying not to rush back and have that injury happen again. It was kind of shocking because it happened out of nowhere in pregame. And it was kind of like a blow to the team, to me. It was kind of hard to deal with, but we’re on track now.”

Getting back to full strength has been the biggest obstacle for Shemar James since the injury against Georgia. Many fans took to blame the field preparation just days before the game, but it was nothing more than an unfortunate injury to the star linebacker.

“Bending it, strengthening it, my quads, my hamstrings. I haven’t run since the Georgia game, so we gotta get those things back to firing. I think it was just kind of like an unfortunate thing that happened,” James said on the injury. “Like you seen, it was just a routine cut. I planted and it happened. So, I wouldn’t say it was the field. I think it was just unfortunate.”

In such a short period of time together so far this spring, Shemar James is impressed with what he sees from the linebackers in the room. Everyone is extremely eager to learn from Coach Ron Roberts and the focus is where it needs to be as spring practice carries on.

“It’s been great,” James said. “We have a group of guys that’s ready to learn, ready to get out there and apply what we learned in the film room. So, I feel like there’s no egos in that room.”

It feels like Coach Ron Roberts has been in Gainesville for longer than just a couple days when you hear players talk about him. The knowledge is there, and the experience Roberts brings to the table is exactly what this defense needs in year three.

“It’s all guys that want to learn and get out there and ball. That helps him a lot,” James said on Roberts. “And having that experience from another school coming here, that kind of gives him a step ahead of the playbook actually.”

The Gators added 11 players from the transfer portal this offseason, improving all three levels of the defense in the process.

At the linebacker position, the Gators brought in the best class they’ve seen in years with Myles Graham and Aaron Chiles. To top it off, the Gators were able to land Grayson “Pup” Howard from South Carolina, someone who Florida was high on during his high school recruitment.

“He’s a dog. He’s big. Like, I don’t know if you’ve seen in person, but he’s a big guy. So, he’s a great guy, great player,” James said on Howard.  “He’s one of my brothers now, so I treat him like that and it’s all smiles when we come around.”

Myles Graham on the other hand is a player who could have an immediate impact for the Gators’ defense and linebacker room. The former Buchholz Bobcat shined in the Under-Armour All-American game back in January recording a team-high of five tackles, one sack and one tackle for loss.

“Stud. Stud. Myles Graham, he’s a stud. My little bro now. I gotta coach him up, make him the best linebacker he can be. He’s got history here, so when he walks in, he’s ready to work. No slack at all. He’s physical,” James said on Graham. “He’s physical, he can run, he can hit, he can disrupt, all that stuff. So, it’s kind of just getting him in the playbook so he can play fast.”

The biggest emphasis right now from Coach Armstrong and Coach Roberts is simply the effort these players give. This coaching staff is going to put these players in the best position to succeed and simplify things, this team just has to execute in the end. Missed tackles were a huge issue for the Gators last season, and that can’t be a problem in year three.

“I’d say just probably overall effort,” James said on this defense and what it will take to improve. “Just getting to the ball and when you get to the ball make sure you get the ball down. So right now we’re coaching effort, tackling and things of that nature. There’s definitely a different level of buy in when you walk in the weight room, there’s guys that sit there and shirts tucked in, straps tied up. We’re ready to go and we’re ready to make a difference this year.”

This defense is hungry, and they know what it will take to be great in 2024. The preparation and approach to practice has been the biggest difference for this team so far this spring. If this team wants to improve on defense this year, the buy-in must be at an all-time high throughout the rest of this spring and leading up to next season.

Gentry Hawk
Gentry Hawk is a student at the University of Florida studying sports journalism. He is a writer and reporter for GatorCountry. You can find most of his work on Twitter @gentryhawkgc, or right here on Gator country.

1 COMMENT

  1. I think you left out the details of the injury, the article doesn’t mention even a body part let alone treatment details. It was a blow, a surprise, I am bending it, but I haven’t run in 5 months?
    What was the injury?
    What was the treatment?
    He said he doesn’t want it to happen (?) again, what was “it”