GatorCountry.com is covering the Senior Bowl live from Mobile, Ala., this week as Florida running back Mike Gillislee and offensive lineman Xavier Nixon will participate in the game.
While Sunday was simply a day for the players to check in and get their playbook, GatorCountry.com did talk with former Alabama offensive lineman D.J. Fluker, who gave his thoughts on the Gators defensive line.
“When we played them last year they were good,” Fluker said. “(Dominique) Easley and (Shariff) Floyd are both really good linemen. Floyd is a really strong lineman and Easley is very athletic for his size on the line.”
Fluker sees something in the Florida program that he believes is going to rival Alabama in the coming years.
“Coach (Will) Muschamp and coach (Nick) Saban are friends,” Fluker said. “I think coach Muschamp is building a great defense there and running the same style that we did at Alabama. The key to building a good program is having a good defense, and from watching Florida this year, they have had gotten a lot better on defense. The style of defense they both run is a fast but physical defense that keeps offenses off-guard.”
The talented offensive lineman also said the key is having a great strength conditioning coach like what he had at Alabama in Scott Cochran.
Th Crimson Tide knocked off Georgia in the SEC championship, but Fluker said he isn’t sure that the Bulldogs were the best team in the SEC Eastern Division.
“Georgia was a good football team and gave us a good fight in the championship game,” Fluker said. “But from watching both teams play, I think Florida was a little better than Georgia this year. But we played who we were told to play.”
Stay tuned to Gator Country today as we will be live from the South practice as well as media night.