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The trenches are where games are won or lost in the SEC. A season ago, the Florida Gators were not up to par when it came to their defensive line, especially against the run.

This year, the Gators will be looking for a big turnaround from their front four who will be under new guidance. Florida hired Gerald Chapman to replace Sean Spencer as the team’s defensive line coach for this season. Chapman oversaw Tulane’s D-line in 2023, which ranked in the top 10 in the country in rush defense and top five in turnovers gained.

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With a new face to lead them, there will also be new faces on the line who will have to step up after last year’s leader up front, Princely Umanmielen, transferred to Ole Miss in the offseason. Umanmielen led the team in tackles for loss and sacks in 2023.

Another blow to the defensive front came during the first scrimmage of fall camp when Jamari Lyons broke his ankle, which will sideline him for the season.

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With the loss of Umanmielen and Lyons, Florida will look to others to fill their shoes. One guy who could play a huge role is Tyreak Sapp. Sapp had a fantastic sophomore season in 2023, totaling 24 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss.

This year’s Gators will welcome back Justus Boone, who missed all of last season with a knee injury. In 15 games during his Florida career, Boone has tallied 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. While he may need time to shake off the rust, Boone is expected to start at defensive end in Week 1 against Miami.

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A pair of transfers also have high expectations in Austin Armstrong’s defense coming into this season. Joey Slackman, the reigning Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, was a nuisance up front for the Penn Quakers. He had 50 total tackles with 14 tackles for loss and four sacks last year. Slackman, paired with Northern Illinois transfer George Gumbs Jr., who had 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in 2023, will cause trouble for opposing offensive lines.

In addition to the transfer acquisitions, a group of talented freshmen will be joining the force this year. L.J. McCray is the biggest name of all. McCray was ranked as the No. 1 defensive lineman in his class by On3 coming out of Mainland High School in Daytona Beach. Earlier this week, McCray was named to the On3 Preseason True Freshman All-American Team.

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Other freshmen like D’Antre Robinson and Michai Boireau, the 12th and 22nd ranked defensive line prospects in the country according to Rivals, respectively, will add some healthy competition for the veterans in the position group.

The defensive front for the Gators may be one of the deepest it’s been in years, and under a new coaching style with Chapman leading the group, it will be exciting to see how Florida’s D-line fares against a very gritty, hard-nosed schedule in 2024.