The storied rivalry of two powerhouse programs of the past will add yet another chapter on Saturday afternoon as the Florida Gators will host the No. 19 Miami Hurricanes at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in a crucial season opener.
Florida and Miami both come into 2024 with third-year head coaches in Billy Napier and Mario Cristobal who have struggled to win big games to begin their tenures. For two historically fantastic football programs, losing is not an option. After the Gators went 5-7 last season and the Hurricanes had a 7-6 record, both squads have loftier hopes this year.
With Florida having the toughest schedule in the country this season, a Week 1 win over a top-20 opponent will go a long way in boosting the Gators’ confidence.
Their conviction coming into Saturday is already at a very high level. Florida returns its starting quarterback in Graham Mertz who finished third in the nation in completion percentage at 72.9% while throwing for almost 3,000 yards, 20 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Mertz lost his No. 1 target from last season as Ricky Pearsall left for the NFL, however, an explosive returner and two high-quality transfers will give the veteran QB options on the outside.
Graham Mertz has been named to the Preseason Davey O’Brien Award Watchlist 👀
After leading the Gators in touchdown receptions last year, Eugene Wilson III is poised for an even better sophomore season. He will be paired with Arizona State transfer Elijhah Badger and former Wisconsin man Chimere Dike, who is reuniting with his former quarterback. The big-play ability of these three is something the Miami secondary will have to look out for all game long.
While the fireworks may come by way of the air for Florida, Napier’s offense has always gone through the ground game. The Gators’ lead-back this season will be Montrell Johnson Jr. Johnson, who had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee after being injured in the first week of training camp, and was questionable for the game against the Canes, was cleared to play earlier this week. Johnson is set for a big game if he is not limited against Miami after Florida lost Trevor Etienne to Georgia via the transfer portal.
As for the Canes, they will have a revamped offensive look against the Gators in Week 1. Miami has a new quarterback in 2024 as graduate transfer Cam Ward joined the team after playing his previous two years at Washington State. Ward possesses a dual-threat look that Florida will have to be prepared for. Last year with the Cougars, Ward threw for over 3,700 yards with 25 touchdowns and added eight scores on the ground.
Determined to prove it on every play.@Cameron7Ward has been named the ACC’s Preseason Player of the Year 🙌
— Miami Hurricanes Football (@CanesFootball) August 1, 2024
Ward’s No. 1 target on Saturday will be senior Xavier Restrepo, an All-ACC first-team selection in 2023. Restrepo finished second in the conference in receptions and yards with six touchdowns a season ago.
On the ground, Miami flourishes a man who was one of the best running backs in the country last year. Damien Martinez, who transferred to the Canes after playing his first two seasons at Oregon State, was a 2023 Doak Walker Award semifinalist. He ran for 1,185 yards with nine scores in his All-Pac-12 first-team campaign.
A team coming into this season with lofty expectations in Miami will be the first of numerous tough tests for the Gators this season, as so much is on the line in a Week 1 matchup between two schools that have so much history between them.
Florida and Miami will meet for the 57th time Saturday in the Swamp. The game is set to kickoff at 3:30 p.m. ET in front of a sold-out crowd on ABC. The Hurricanes are currently favored by 2.5 points, according to ESPN Bet.
The Georgia State Panthers hosted the Florida Gators tonight in an extremely convincing 2-0 victory for the Gators. This was the first meeting in history between the two programs.
The first half began, and both teams were looking to get into their rhythm early. After a heavy touch by a GSU midfielder, Florida took its first possession of the game. Florida maintained possession for a short time before turning the ball over with a bad pass that went out of play.
Florida continued to maintain pressure through the first three minutes of the match and was rewarded with an early opportunity. Ryleigh Acosta dribbled past the GSU right back and took a low shot that was swallowed up by the GSU goalie, Jaddah Foos. Florida’s first shot on goal.
GSU continued to struggle with the pressure of the Gators. The Panthers weren’t able to get out of their own half. An early foul gave Florida a set-piece opportunity in a dangerous position. The cross ended up being claimed by the Panthers goalkeeper.
The Panthers found some momentum as a beautiful lob pass is delivered across the pitch to the right winger, Sunniyah Tucker, who sends a cross into the 18-yard box.The cross is ultimately claimed by the Florida keeper, Jayden Emmanuel
Florida continued their first half dominance with more shots and corner kicks. Foos was kept busy due to the constant pressure by Florida which led to bad passes resulting in threatening throw-ins and corner kicks. The pressure gave Florida’s Delaney Tauzel a great look from 25 yards out, who hit it with power and curve, but Foos made a save to keep the score level.
In the 21st minute, Florida gets their first real opportunity to open the scoring. Forward, Lena Bailey, intercepted the ball after a heavy touch from a GSU defender. She took a touch with the outside of her right foot, sitting down Foos, but sailed her shot high. Delaney Tellex was wide open on her right if Bailey decided to square it, but ultimately the Gators found themselves a few feet high of getting ahead.
After the scare on the defensive end of the pitch, the Panthers found a possible opportunity to make something happen. Tucker played an incisive pass that dissected the Florida back line but the lineswoman raised her flag for offsides.
The Gators took the offsides seriously as the raised flag possibly saved them from being a goal down. Njeri Butts dribbled with conviction through the midfield, elusively avoiding the GSU midfielders. Butts sent a cutback pass that was begging to be hit into the net and the ball gets its wish. Bailey hit it first time and finished it sweetly into the top-left corner; easily beating Foos to bring the Gators their first goal of the fixture.
Florida took the opportunity to make some substitutions after the goal.
It didn’t take long for GSU to apply pressure to the Florida back line. The Panthers used beautiful ball movement to move down the pitch. Nifty little passes through the midfield ended up giving Aaliyah Faddoul an opportunity to deliver a dangerous cross into the box. Emmanuel claims the cross emphatically with great awareness to get the ball before it turned into something threatening.
The Panthers continued their push for the equalizer as Faddoul dribbled and plays what could have been a lethal pass to put her striker through on goal. However, a late step by Florida center back, Daviana Vaka, stopped the threatening pass. The ball gets deflected right to the winger, who overpowered her cross for a Florida goal kick.
Florida maintained the majority of the possession through the end of the first half protecting their one goal lead. The referee blew her whistle for halftime. The Gators dominated the first half with 10 shots, 4 shots on goal, 6 corners. The Panthers only had one shot the entire half, no corners earned, and was called offsides on two occasions.
The second half began and the Panthers came out firing. They instantly apply a new level of intensity that was missing through the entire first half. A delicious through ball from Elena Diaz, a product from the Atletico Madrid academy, found Tucker who took an explosive touch into a shot that was blocked to earn the Panthers their first corner of the game.
Florida began to settle into the second half with some great strings of passes. The Florida midfield drove the Gators into the final third but the shot was nowhere close to the goal. A hopeful look into the Gators objective of getting a brace for themselves.
Both, Florida and Georgia State, took their time and built their rhythm by maintaining possession and minimizing turnovers. Elena Diaz received a pass and with incredible vision, plays a gorgeous through ball to Tucker, who crosses it to her wide open teammate, Emily Glenn, who was storming into the box. Tucker’s cross isn’t the best which forced Green to take a touch outside and shoot the ball right into the Florida keeper.
The Panthers were more aggressive and controlled most of the possession at this point of the second half. Florida went through a period of turnovers and bad passes. The Panthers looked even more threatening as the time ticked down.
With 25:52 left in the second half, Vaka plays a low-driven pass right into the feet of Vera Blom. Blom controls the pass extremely well, collects her feet, and wraps her foot around the ball. The ball begins to curve and dip simultaneously as it pierces through the air. Foos extends her right hand as much as she can, but the ball ultimately beats her, bounces off the bottom of the crossbar, and finds its way into the back of the net. An absolute world-class strike from Blom doubled the Gators’ lead.
Facing a two-goal deficit, the Panthers were more aggressive than ever. With 20:35 left in the match, the Panthers got their best opportunity yet to get on the score sheet. An extremely dangerous cross trickled through many Florida defenders as it looked for a Panthers player to apply the final touch for a probable goal. One Panther missed it, the other couldn’t reach it, and the ball ultimately found itself crossing the byline for a Florida goal kick.
The Gators instantly respond with 20:00 left with a cross of their own. Butts delivered a beautiful pass that met Bailey’s head who placed it to the left side of the goal. Foos extended to the fullest and just pushed the ball wide of the post to keep her Panthers alive with a world class save.
GSU continued to struggle with offsides as they were called for their sixth infraction. The Florida back four stayed composed and organized frustrating the GSU attackers. The Florida back four maintained possession throughout majority of the second half and kept their goaltender with not much to do.
At the 8:30 mark, the match was delayed due to lightning in the Atlanta area. It resumed after a 30-minute wait. The players had 10 minutes to warm up before play continued.
The Gators had one job with the remaining time: to keep their clean sheet. The Panthers were very aggressive coming out of the delay, but the Gators weathered the storm and maintained most of the possession for the remainder of the match.
The referee blew the final whistle, and the Gators remain undefeated heading into their match on Sunday against Towson. The Gators are now 2-0-2 and look to continue their momentum with another win away from home. The Panthers, with a record of 0-2-1, will look to secure their first win against Western Carolina on Sunday, September 1.
With Florida State coming to Gainesville on September 8, it is crucial for the Gators to win against Towson. If they play with the same composure and aggressiveness they displayed Thursday, the Gators will be a force to be reckoned with throughout the season.
Now that fall camp has come and gone and games are set to be played, we’ve decided that it’s an appropriate time to discuss our expectations and projections for the 2024 Florida Gators football team.
The 2023 season was forgettable for much of the fan base as Florida finished the season 5-7 overall and 3-5 in conference play.
The schedule, somehow, appears to be even tougher in 2024 as Texas and Oklahoma join the SEC and division play has been scrapped.
The following are our best guesses at who will lead Florida in several statistical categories. Following the stat leaders, we will prognosticate Florida’s regular season record and explain why we think so.
Leading Rusher: Brian Fox: Montrell Johnson, 860 yards Hugh Green: Montrell Johnson, 935 yards Aiden Wacksman: Montrell Johnson, 950 yards
Brian’s Two Bits: Johnson is clearly RB1 heading into the new season, however, the depth at the position is impressive. Treyaun Webb, Cam Carroll and freshmen KD Daniels and Jadan Baugh will likely get touches as well, if healthy. This is my favorite position group on this team thanks to the talent four and five deep on the depth chart.
Leading Receiver: Brian Fox: Chimere Dike, 645 yards Hugh Green: Eugene Wilson III, 750 yards Aiden Wacksman: Eugene Wilson III, 710 yards
Hugh’s Two Bits: The most explosive player on the Gators’ offense this season, without a doubt, is Eugene Wilson III. With Ricky Pearsall gone, Wilson’s usage percentage should be incredibly high. While Florida added a pair of very talented, experienced wideouts in Elijah Badger and Chimere Dike, Wilson should still be Mertz’s No. 1 receiver.
Tackles Leader: Brian Fox: Shemar James, 91 tackles Hugh Green: Jordan Castell, 67 tackles Aiden Wacksman: Shemar James, 72 tackles
Aiden’s Two Bits: Shemar James accumulated 55 tackles in just eight games last season, good for second on the team. James should be able to far surpass that number with a fully recovered knee and valuable experience under his belt. As long as he stays healthy, the junior will be Florida’s most active linebacker.
Brian’s Two Bits: Sapp enters his fourth season at Florida and looks to be the most likely breakout candidate on the defensive line. Sapp finished 2023 with 24 tackles and two sacks and will be helped by veteran inside linemen Cam Jackson and Desmond Watson as well as Joey Slackman and Caleb Banks on the outside.
Interceptions Leader: Brian Fox: Jason Marshall, 4 Hugh Green: DJ Douglas, 3 Aiden Wacksman: Devin Moore, 3
Hugh’s Two Bits: Douglas, who is going into his sixth season in college football, transferred over from Tulane where he earned All-AAC Honorable Mention honors after having three interceptions last season. Florida’s secondary is much improved this year with plenty of new additions, but Douglas’ ball-hawking skills will put him over the top in the interception category.
Record Prediction: Brian Fox: 6-6, losses to TAMU, Tenn, UGA, Texas, Mississippi, Florida State Hugh Green: 6-6, losses to Tenn, Kentucky, UGA, Texas, Mississippi, Florida State Aiden Wacksman: 7-5, losses to Tenn, UGA, Texas, LSU, Mississippi
Why? Brian Fox: Simply put, Florida is just not as talented as most of their SEC rivals. While the talent has improved, especially on the offensive side of the ball, the Gators still have a lot of work to do to get to where they desire. The gap is closing and there are solid players on this roster, but managing this difficult schedule will likely result in another “down year,” by UF standards.
Hugh Green: While Florida has an exciting, high-powered roster, having the toughest schedule in the country does the Gators no favors. Florida will begin the year strong if they are able to get a win at home against Miami, but the final month will be so challenging. With Billy Napier in his third year, it is time to start winning with his guys, but this may not be the year it begins.
Aiden Wacksman: Florida has a much improved team from last year in terms of experience and talent. Unfortunately, the brutal schedule will pit a strong Florida squad against opponents with more talent and depth across the board. The Gators, however, should be able to secure some key victories in The Swamp and make it to a bowl game. The home opener against Miami will be the most significant indicator of what this team is capable of.
Let us know what you believe we got right and wrong either in the comments or on social media.
Special teams has often been an area of underperformance in the Billy Napier era. Sloppy mistakes and missed opportunities have, at times, defined Florida’s season in critical moments.
This year, Florida returns its starting kicker, punter and long snapper. Napier also hired senior analyst Joe Houston in the offseason to assist GameChanger coordinator Chris Couch in managing the special teams unit.
Returning junior Trey Smack will take on place kicking duties for the Gators. The 2023 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award semifinalist was perfect on PATs (29-29) and made all but four field goal attempts (17-21) last season. Smack was also a two-time SEC Special Teams Player of the Week in wins against Charlotte (5-5 FG) and South Carolina (4-5 FG).
Smack was named to the preseason Lou Groza Award watch list in early August. He was an excellent place kicker last season and is likely to replicate his success this season.
2023 AP All-Second Team punter Jeremy Crawshaw returns for his senior season. Crawshaw had an exceptional junior campaign in which he averaged a program-record 47 yards per punt and landed 15 punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. He enters the 2024-25 season as one of the best punters in the country.
Long snapper Rocco Underwood will once again start for the Gators. The RS junior appeared in every game last season.
Florida’s kickoff and punt returners for the fall remain to be determined. Wide receivers such as Eugene Wilson III and Tank Hawkins have been getting reps at the position along with running back Montrell Johnson before his injury.
While Florida has plenty of talent at special teams, execution has been a major area of concern. Napier hired Houston, a New England special teams assistant, in January. He will work alongside Couch in the fall.
The performance of the special teams unit could make or break Florida’s season. Miscues like missing players on PATs and punts would be more costly than ever considering the schedule. Only time will tell if Houston and Couch can correct the errors of the last two years.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Naeshaun Montgomery, a 4-star recruit from Miami Central High School, has announced his commitment to the Florida Gators on August 25, 2024. Montgomery had offers from SEC rivals Alabama and LSU, and offers from FSU, Oregon, and Penn State. The 6’1″, 165 pound wideout chose Florida during a livestream on his Instagram.
Montgomery posted on X, “Gator Nation I’m Coming Home Go Gators.” He is another weapon added to an already dangerous 2025 wide receiver recruitment class that features Joshua Moore and Vernell Brown III. Montgomery is a top 10 prospect according to Rivals.com and has boosted Florida’s recruitment ranking to 19th, nationally, according to On3.
This is a great pickup for Billy Napier’s offense. Montgomery is a vertical threat that possesses impressive speed, a lethal first step off the line of scrimmage, and a blocking ability that very few receivers have. He dominates on the outside wether it’s going up for a jump ball or planting a defensive back into the ground. His release is lightning quick and very few his size can get off the line of scrimmage as fluent and elusive as Montgomery. He has an impressive route tree and a very physical YAC portfolio. He has a similar play style to D.K. Metcalf and Stefon Diggs in which he can get open, get up and grab it over defensive backs, and can set a nasty block to take a defensive back out of the play.
After watching his tape, Montgomery will provide a physicality that Florida has been looking for. He puts defensive backs on the floor or leaves them with no chance once he jumps up for the high-point of the catch. Montgomery isn’t afraid to get hit after the catch and does a very good job in catching the ball with anticipation in getting hit. He will be especially useful for fade routes within the red zone and on go routes when the Gators are closer to midfield. His release creates instant separation to his man which provides quick slant options for his quarterback and can provide Napier with many more RPO scenarios.
Gator fans should look forward to having Montgomery on their roster. It will be a nice breath of fresh air seeing a receiver who is more on the physical side of play. He is an explosive playmaker that can affect the game during a pass or run play. He plays with a chip on his shoulder and his play shows that. He doesn’t back down when things aren’t coming his way and takes every opportunity to prolong the play. He fits Napier’s offensive style perfectly and will be a focal point on the offense in the upcoming years. Get excited because the swamp just got a little bit tougher with Montgomery.
The Florida defense had great success in recent scrimmages. Some of that success can be attributed to Florida’s linebacker corps, which consists of multiple returning starters. This season, the position group will return refreshed with experience and talent across the board.
With Mannie Nunnery (Texas St.) and Scooby Williams (Texas A&M) exiting the program, the Gators will rely on the experience of junior Shemar James and senior Derek Wingo.
James’ 2023 campaign came to an end when he suffered a dislocated kneecap in a week nine loss to Georgia. He finished second on the team in tackles (55) and TFL (5.5) despite only playing eight games. Most of his offseason was spent recovering from surgery and rebuilding his knee to full strength.
James has been an active participant in fall camp and will bring valuable expertise to the linebacker corps. His ability to play sideline-to-sideline will be vital as Florida faces some of the best offenses in the country.
Wingo appeared in all 12 games last season and led Florida linebackers in sacks (2.5). The senior underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason and wore a non-contact jersey for most of the spring. He has since recovered from the operation and participated in full-contact practice drills in the fall.
One Florida linebacker in particular is generating excitement in open practices and making position battles heavily contested. Grayson “Pup” Howard transferred from South Carolina for his sophomore year. He appeared in 11 games for the Gamecocks as a freshman and accumulated 19 tackles.
Howard has performed notably well in open practices. He will see the field often and could even earn a start in week one.
A couple of freshmen will also be active at the position this season. Some of Florida’s most coveted recruits in the class of 2024 were linebackers Myles Graham and Aaron Chiles.
Graham, a 4-star recruit who played at Buchholz high school for his senior season, has impressed in practices and will likely serve as a backup. He is the son of former Florida running back Earnest Graham.
Chiles is also turning heads in his short time at Florida. New linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator Ron Roberts praised Chiles for being an outstanding athlete and hard worker in a spring interview with 247 Sports.
Roberts replaces former Florida linebackers coach Jay Bateman, who left for the same job at Texas A&M in December. He has over 30 years of coaching experience and served as Auburn’s defensive coordinator last year.
The linebacker position is one to be excited about. This group has experience, talent and depth. Graham and Chiles are players to especially keep an eye on as they may very well be the faces of Florida defenses to come.
Entering Sunday’s contest the Florida – UCF series had been decidedly one-sided. The Gators hadn’t even managed to score on the Knights since 2016.
While UCF dominated much of the action and possession through ninety minutes of play, Florida scored a pair of second half goals to even things on the scoreboard.
The Knights opened scoring just 17 minutes into the game’s start. UCF’s leading scorer, Chloe Netzel, made a move to get by the UF defense and found the back of the net to give Central Florida an early advantage.
Then came the lightning and a fifty minute delay with just over 14 minutes left in the first half. Following the return to action, both teams swapped opportunities to score with Florida finally capitalizing in the 43rd minute. Delaney Tellex delivered a ball ahead of the defense to Vera Blom, who made a touch to go around the UCF goalkeeper and buried the shot into the empty net.
Both teams entered the half with six shot attempts, though UCF had five on target to Florida’s two.
Despite the even score, head coach Samantha Bohon stayed with the plan and put in freshman keeper Jayden Emmanuel to gain reps before conference play starts.
Both teams took turns grabbing momentum in the opening minutes of the second half. Florida’s Norah Abbott had multiple shot attempts in the first few minutes but was unable to get the attempts on goal. In the 60th minute, Amelia Malkin’s shot to the bottom left was stopped by UCF GK Sami Lipcon.
Following a foul by Njeri Butts, UCF capitalized on an opportunity with Netzel again finding nylon after a feed from Mia Asenjo. The goal put the Knights up 2-1 with just over thirty minutes to play.
The Gators evened things up when Sophie White got out on a breakaway after a turnover by the UCF backline. White closed in on Lipcon and shot just left of the keeper and into the open goal. For White, it was her first goal since 2022.
The final twenty minutes saw the game kick up a notch in physicality. Four yellow cards were given including three to UCF players. The Knights were also called offsides four times over the same time period.
Florida attempted eleven shots in the second half while limiting UCF to just five. In the game, Florida attempted five corners while the Knights has zero corner kick opportunities.
The Gators (1-0-2) will travel to Atlanta to face Georgia State on Thursday. The Panthers are 0-1-1 with the loss coming against Ole Miss and the 2-2 draw against Chattanooga.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
One of the most pressing position needs in the offseason for Billy Napier was the offensive line. Florida lost consistent starters such as Micah Mazzccua and Richie Leonard IV to the transfer portal. Center Kingsley Eguakun, who missed much of last season to injury, was drafted by the Detroit Lions in April.
Despite the losses, Florida will return some familiar names and valuable experience to this position group. The Gators also added some depth to the offensive line through the transfer portal.
Florida returns some valuable experience to the line. Jake Slaughter, Damieon George Jr. and Austin Barber will serve as the top athletes of the position group.
Slaughter, a redshirt junior, is clearly cut to start at center for the Gators in the fall. He made eight starts last season in place of Eguakun and is one of the most experienced linemen on the team.
Barber played 561 snaps in 2023 and will be an anchor for the line at tackle. George Jr., who started in 11 games last season and is also a tackle, will be another valuable returning presence.
Transfer Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson seeks to make an immediate impact for the Gators. The RS senior transferred from San Diego State for his final year of eligibility and is the eldest member of Florida’s new offensive line. He was a starting tackle at SDSU for three straight seasons.
Meanwhile, sophomore Knijeah Harris will be the youngest starter on the line at guard. He was in the starting lineup once in 2023 but appeared in all 12 games.
Florida was wrought with injuries across the board last season, including on the line. The coaching staff had to adjust by consistently changing the starting lineup and moving linemen to different positions.
This year, RS freshman Roderick Kearney and Arkansas transfer Devon Manuel will provide essential depth and support.
Manuel started four games for the Razorbacks in 2023 and played over 450 snaps. Kearney, a top-100 recruit who flipped from FSU to Florida in 2022, redshirted his freshman year. He’s practiced at various positions in fall camp and is primed to see the field for the first time in a limited role barring injuries to starters.
The Gators will face four of the top ten-ranked defensive lines in the nation according to PFF. The outcome of Florida’s 2024-25 campaign will heavily depend upon how the five orange and blue jerseys up front are able to perform against some of the best competition college football has to offer.
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