The weekly release of the Gators’ depth chart hasn’t been much of a talking point due to the lack of differences between them this season. However, Florida’s week five depth chart had Gator Nation talking on Wednesday evening.
Justus Boone, Jaydon Hill, and Kamari Wilson or Donovan McMillon are listed as starters for Florida’s matchup with Eastern Washington on Sunday.
JUSTUS BOONE
The redshirt freshman has been in the rotation at defensive end for Patrick Toney’s defense in 2022. Boone has tallied five solo tackles and a sack this season. Boone put the nation on notice when he landed a monstrous hit on Kentucky’s Will Levis, snatching his first career solo sack in the process.
Boone immediately caught the eye of the Gators’ coaching staff upon their arrival in spring.
“One of the great things I saw in the end of spring was Justus Boone got on one of the players before I did,” defensive line coach Sean Spencer said. “He turned around and he said, That’s not what we do. We expect more. And when you start to get that, you start to get them talking like that, man, it can be special. So that would be an example,” Spencer said.
His maturity could be one reason he’s passed many older athletes at his position. Boone has displayed great burst and effort in limited snaps this season. With the Gators struggling in pass rush, Boone will have a chance to create a much-needed spark as he’s set to make his first career start as a Gator.
JAYDON HILL
Hill is set to make his first appearance in a game since 2020. Hill suffered a torn ACL in fall camp last year, missing the entire 2021 season. Hill was essentially a penciled-in starter for this Gators secondary before another setback with his injury. This caused Hill to miss the first four games of this season. Hill dressed out for USF and Tennessee but did not participate in either game.
Hill started five games in 2020, appearing in all 12. He finished the season with 14 tackles and seven pass break ups, which ranked 2nd most on the team.
Billy Napier’s had high praise for Hill, noting his work ethic and attitude throughout this process.
It’s always tough to tell how a player is going to respond from an ACL tear, but Hill has clearly impressed the coaching staff as of late. It’s a great idea to allow Hill to get snaps against Easten Washington before the Gators have to head back into SEC play.
The Gators’ defensive back room is crowded, but there’s always room for more talent. Hill will be one of my players to watch on Sunday afternoon; If Hill can show burst and fluid movement, he’s going to be a part of the CB rotation going forward.
KAMARI WILSON OR DONOVAN MCMILLON
The safety unit has been the weakest position group for the Gators in 2022. With Trey Dean out with an injury, we will see a new face slide into the starting lineup. The depth chart has an OR in between Wilson and McMillon, but I expect to see Wilson start with Rashad Torrence at safety. Wilson has been the first safety off the bench this season, totaling nine tackles and half a tackle for loss thus far. Wilson has played pretty well in a reserved role; he hasn’t shown us any reason to believe he could play worse than the product Florida has put out there over the last few years.
McMillion has primarily played in a special teams role this season but has totaled four tackles to date. I expect to see McMillion in the rotation at safety.
I will be watching this position group closely, especially if McMillon and Wilson are on the field at the same time. These two are the future of the safety unit, but the Gators are leaning on them early in the 2022 season.
It’s important to note that just because these players were named starters on Wednesday does not necessarily mean they will start the game. We’ve seen Shemar James start a game at LB that he was not slated to start. Napier has told us time and time again that a lot can change after Wednesday afternoon and that the depth chart is more of an indication of where things are trending. Nonetheless, it’s a good sign that Florida will have three new faces heavily involved in a struggling Gators’ defense.