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There will be a revamped look to the Florida defensive backfield in 2024. In his third year as the head coach of the Gators, Billy Napier will be looking for a much improved secondary with new faces all around.

A veteran secondary coach joined the staff this offseason as Corey Raymond went back to LSU and was replaced by Will Harris. Harris, a former University of Southern California defensive back, has coached for over 10 years in college and the NFL. Last season, he was an assistant secondary coach with the Los Angeles Chargers.

With the addition of Harris to the sideline, Florida’s secondary will look to improve upon a 2023 campaign in which it finished in the bottom half of the SEC in passing yards allowed per game with just three interceptions on the season.

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The defensive back room will be led by senior cornerback Jason Marshall Jr., who is a projected Day 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Marshall finished first on the team last year in pass breakups with 10 to add to his 26 total tackles and one sack.

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The other cornerback to start the season will be junior Devin Moore. Moore is looking for a breakout third year with the Gators after he battled through multiple injuries in 2023, which held him to just seven games played. In those seven games, Moore was productive with six tackles, three pass breakups and an interception.

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Other returning cornerbacks for Florida this season will be sophomores Ja’Keem Jackson and Dijon Johnson. Jackson played well as a true freshman last year, totaling seven tackles and three pass breakups in 11 games. Johnson saw the field in all 12 games a season ago but was mostly used on special teams.

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Some new faces join the fray of the corners for the Gators in 2024. Oregon transfer Trikweze Bridges had a phenomenal career with the Ducks. He had four interceptions, nine pass breakups and 93 tackles in 46 games at Oregon. With his experience, Bridges also brings lots of versatility to Florida’s defensive backfield as can play cornerback, safety or STAR.

Freshman Jameer Grimsley and Colorado transfer Cormani McClain are two more additions to the Gators’ corners. McClain, who was widely regarded as the No. 1 prospect in the country coming out of high school, did not have a breakout freshman season under Deion Sanders but is looking to improve and fight for snaps at Florida.

At the safety position, Jordan Castell returns after a phenomenal freshman campaign. He led the team in tackles with 60 with three pass breakups and an interception. With these numbers, Castell was named to the Freshman All-SEC and All-American teams.

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Joining Castell at safety will be two promising transfers in Asa Turner and DJ Douglas. Turner, who transferred from Washington, brings tons of experience and a winning mentality. He has almost 150 tackles in his career, with seven tackles for loss and six interceptions. Douglas is a transfer from Tulane who originally began his collegiate career at Alabama. He turned in an All-AAC Honorable Mention season in 2023 with 54 tackles and three interceptions.

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Finally, at the STAR position, the Gators will have Sharif Denson, Aaron Gates and Josiah Davis. Neither Denson nor Gates saw much of the field in their first year at Florida last season, but will most likely split reps to begin the season at the hybrid safety/linebacker position. Davis, a true freshman, also has a chance to get some snaps at STAR as the season progresses.

Under new leadership in 2024, Florida’s secondary is hoping to improve a Gators’ pass defense that was nothing to brag about last year. With plenty of new faces and a senior leader in Marshall, the defensive backs will look to propel this team to bigger and better things this season.