How Elijah Conliffe's Departure Affects Florida Gators Immediate DL Depth

While Florida Gators defensive lineman Elijah Conliffe missed the entire 2019 season - his junior campaign - with an undisclosed foot injury, the 6-4, 312 lb. trench-man would have been expected to contribute in the scheduled 2020 season so long as he returned to full health.

Including Conliffe, the Gators would have entered the upcoming season - overcast with doubt amidst the coronavirus pandemic - with four seasoned interior defensive linemen on the roster. That number now stands at three, as Conliffe has been granted a medical exception, effectively ending his college football career.

Conliffe didn't accumulate a ton of experience across his first two seasons in orange and blue, but he found the field early in his career and did not redshirt until he suffered his injury. Conliffe averaged 100 snaps per season across 19 appearances - tallying 145 snaps at nose tackle, 54 at defensive tackle, and one at defensive end.

In that span, Conliffe recorded 15 total tackles, a fumble recovery, and six quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. His most notable performance came as a sophomore against Kentucky, where Conliffe posted single-game career-highs in snaps (28) and tackles (five).

He was not a major contributor by any means, but given UF's knack for rotating players across every unit to keep teammates fresh, Conliffe will be missed provided Florida's current defensive line depth.

Kyree Campbell returns as the only interior lineman with double-digit starts at 24 games, compared to fellow veterans T.J. Slaton (two) and Marlon Dunlap Jr. (zero). The latter two have appeared in double-digit contests, like Conliffe, but don't offer the kind of veteran leadership and experience that only Campbell provides at this time.

Campbell and Slaton are expected to start along the interior for Florida in 2020, should there be a season, with Dunlap stepping into a bigger role after seeing 136 defensive snaps a year ago. Beyond these three, depth will be left up to incoming and rising redshirt freshmen to fill in.

Jaelin Humphries saw action in one game as a freshman, otherwise redshirting due to an early injury, and was a consensus four-star nose tackle prospect coming out of high school who's developmental first in the system could give him an edge over true freshmen for playing time.

The three true freshmen, however, carry the potential to play rather immediately. Florida's first five-star signing since 2015, Gervon Dexter, might be raw in his technique with only two years of football experience under his belt, but the 6-6, 294 lb. defensive lineman possesses elite intangibles and simply bullied his way towards 179 total tackles, 26 sacks, 53 tackles for loss, and 14 forced fumbles in that span. It is yet to be seen where Florida will place Dexter on the line, but there is little doubt his game-wrecking style of play could yield early action.

Jalen Lee and Lamar Goods project to the interior, as Lee could play either spot while Goods best profiles as a nose tackle. While the two look to benefit from Florida's strength and conditioning program, both carry college-ready size at 6-3, 306 lbs. and 6-3, 303 lbs., respectively. Lee is a disruptive rusher with fantastic length and a quick get-off, clearing into the backfield with power and good pad level for a high school prospect. Goods carries a broad frame with the abilities to two-gap and eat up double teams, a promising run defender.

Florida has enough bodies to go three-deep, at least, along the interior following Conliffe's departure. However, while there are enough contributors in the room, the Gators will be riding on a lot of potential in the trenches in 2020, especially if a veteran goes down with an injury or opts out of the season.