Trait of Importance for Florida Gators DBs Becoming Evident: Ball Skills
Change can often bring new life to a unit, but with new life comes new focus.
Following a tumultuous 2020 season plagued by the ineptness of the Gators' defense, Florida looked to make a change that would alter their defensive performances in the near and distant futures.
While much of the UF fanbase called for defensive coordinator Todd Grantham to be relieved of his duties one year removed from commanding a top ten defense in college football, the Gators elected to head in a different direction, remodeling the secondary staff instead.
Releasing both safeties coach Ron English and cornerbacks coach Torrian Gray from the program, Florida believed their mark as the 100th ranked passing defense in college football was a result of lack of talent acquisition, overall development and positional adjustments, rather than overarching schematical issues.
Bringing in Wesley McGriff and Jules Montinar as their replacements, the Gators have started their road to redemption in the 2021 season with an emphasis on making plays on the ball.
As recruiting begins to heat up, approaching a crucial summer period, a glimpse of the traits McGriff and Montinar regard highly in their restructuring of the Florida secondary has been provided. Most notably, looking to add ball-hawking athletes to the unit has become evident.
According to Jaydon Hill, junior cornerback and apparent starter opposite Kaiir Elam next season, Montinar harps on the importance of "ball production."
"He's big on ball production. And that's one thing that at the cornerback position is very important, and that's not talked about enough," Hill told AllGators in an exclusive interview a short time ago.
"Ball production, that's all he preaches. Like, 'get your hands on the ball, get your hands on the ball.' The more you get the ball in your hand, the more opportunity to go to the NFL, being a top corner, being the top defensive player, just being around the ball. That's all he's preaching."
To re-emphasize Hill's point, 2022 defensive back target Jaquise Alexander – who included Florida in his top three schools in an interview with AllGators just five days ago – the “first thing [McGriff] pointed out was how I break on the ball. He likes my ball skills, likes how I attack the ball in the air. He says I’m long, athletic, fast and that’s just what they need for Florida.
Simply put, Florida is looking for "more athletic DBs that can play the ball well."
Fitting the aggressive play-calling style of Grantham, players with heightened ball skills in the backend creates opportunities to force turnovers with a high frequency, a winning recipe for some of the most efficient and exciting defenses in recent memory.
Just a short time ago, when Florida's defense was performing at a high level, making opportune plays was a commonality. In 2019, Florida forced 22 takeaways on the year, providing short fields and even points on the board for the offensive unit's benefit with consistency.
Culminating in a dominant performance in a victory over Auburn – their first top ten matchup in the Swamp in over seven years – Florida would win by seizing the big moments.
Struggling to find a rhythm on the offensive side of the ball due to the inexperience of quarterback Kyle Trask, the Gators would look to fluster the true freshman starter on the other sideline in Tigers signal-caller Bo Nix.
Utilizing a pestering pass rush and picking off Nix three times – one by Donovan Stiner in the end zone as the Tigers looked to take the lead – Florida would allow their offense increased opportunity to find its footing, taking 72 offensive snaps to Auburn's 61. Edging out the Tigers with an 11-point victory, the offense would eventually taking advantage of the opportunities the defense gave them to put the contest out of reach.
Meanwhile, in 2020, the story would not read the same. Florida would fail to take advantage of other team's lapses, leaving a lot to be desired from a turnover standpoint – aside from their battle with Georgia – coming away with just 16 takeaways in 12 games.
Looking to return to the success chapter of two years ago, next season, the development of those already on the roster will be vital. However, when looking past the immediate future, landing playmaking athletes to groom behind those already lining the roster sits paramount for the staff's longevity.
Sitting as the most important trait of the offseason for targeted defensive backs, along with length, ball skills will be a vital qualification for the corners and safety that McGriff and Montinar bring in going forward.
While Alexander is just an example of the type of versatile playmakers that the staff sets their sights on, he is a perfect prototype for the future of the Gators secondary.
