Florida Gators' Defensive Line Holds Keys to Success for Upcoming Season
The Florida Gators lost their leading tackler from 2019, David Reese II, to the NFL, leaving a massive hole at the MIKE linebacker position. While the Gators have some options to fill that void, there’s one unit that could help the new man-in-the-middle more than any should there be a 2020 season: The defensive line.
The top job of the defensive front is to keep offensive lineman off of the linebackers and control the line of scrimmage by not allowing themselves to be pushed back. Nothing helps young linebackers more than having free range to fill holes and scrape sideline-to-sideline than having a burly defensive tackle eating up double-teams and preventing offensive guards from getting to the second level.
Florida enters 2020 with a mix of veteran interior tackles and promising freshmen.
Kyree Campbell, Zachary Carter and Tedarrell Slaton return as the elders of the group and improved substantially throughout the 2019 season.
Both Campbell and Slaton are the more traditional defensive tackles, typically lining up at nose tackle, one-technique or three-technique. They’re two of the larger men on the team with Campbell checking in at 304 pounds and Slaton at 335.
Campbell has gone from mid-three-star recruit to a three-down defensive lineman who clogs up rushing lanes and pushes the pocket. He tallied 39 total tackles a season ago, 14 of the solo variety and also notched four tackles-for-a-loss as well.
Slaton really came into his own late in the year, proving to be a valuable run-stopper on early downs. He started getting off the ball much faster from the beginning of the season and figured out how to leverage his massive frame by staying low off the ball and being explosive at the point of attack.
Carter is the most versatile of the trio as defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and defensive line coach David Turner have placed Carter everywhere from nose all the way out to the strong-side defensive end spot.
At six-feet, four-inches and 287 pounds, Carter provides some serious power with a fair amount of speed. His snaps steadily increased throughout the year, and he ended up with four-and-a-half sacks.
Behind them are Marlon Dunlap Jr. and Elijah Conliffe. Dunlap missed the vast majority of 2019 with an injury, and Conliffe missed the entirety of the season, going down in fall-camp with a season ending injury. They’ll add necessary depth as guys who have been around the program for a few seasons.
Eyes will be on the three freshman defensive tackles in Gervon Dexter, Lamar Goods and Jalen Lee.
Dexter is the highest rated Florida signee since 2015, and with that comes expectations of immediate production. It’s definitely possible he’ll see the field as a freshman, especially given the current depth at the position.
Dexter is a giant for being only 18-years-old, standing at 6-feet, 6-inches and weighing 294 pounds. His quickness is his most obvious trait as in his high school film he’s constantly beating offensive lineman off the ball and in the backfield dropping half-backs and quarterbacks for losses.
Despite not being able to get to campus as early due to the pandemic, Dexter possesses enough natural talent to break into the rotation even without a summer’s worth of work. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him in a similar role as Carter, playing with his hand in the ground across the line and even as a stand-up end.
Goods and Lee, both standing at six-foot, three-inches and weighing around 300 pounds, are more like Campbell and Slaton, traditional defensive tackles that will be run stuffers. Watching their film, they both share similar traits. Both players use their hands very well, knocking down lineman's hands and then using their quickness to shoot gaps. They both are constant pursuers of the ball as well, showing that relentless effort Dan Mullen preaches.
The health and depth of the defensive line is not something head coach Dan Mullen and the Gators can afford to lose. Given the extreme lack of veteran depth at linebacker, the interior tackles will be relied on heavily to ensure the success of the front seven.
Seven guys who can play tackle is quality depth, but the lack of experience behind Campbell and Slaton could be cause for concern. However, if the two starters continue their progression, and some of the younger guys can become game-ready quickly, the defensive front will be an essential tone-setter for the rest of the defense.
