Florida Gators Safeties Shawn Davis, Donovan Stiner Improve Physicality

Emerging as Florida's most dependable safety duo down the stretch of the 2019 season, Shawn Davis and Donovan Stiner enter their senior seasons as leaders in the secondary, but with room remaining to grow in their games.

An area the entire secondary needed to address this offseason was its tackling and physicality. The Gators missed 137 tackles as a whole last season, according to Pro Football Focus, Davis and Stiner combining for 20. The duo improved as the year went on, combining for only eight misses after the LSU game on October 12th.

Still, further development was needed entering the 2020 season, and according to safeties coach Ron English, the two have improved.

"They just surprised me," English told the media on Thursday. "They’re really physical. I don’t know, I told them because my background has been I like physicality, I preach it. They’re striking linemen and knocking them around. It’s just, they’re finally getting it - the technique of striking."

The loss of spring camp amid the coronavirus pandemic had English, and coaches across the nation, worried that their players were missing fundamental training, particularly when it comes to tackling. Such issues could be seen from Navy in its season-opening, 55-3 loss to BYU, where the Midshipmen missed 14 tackles per PFF. Navy didn't do any full-contact practicing this fall amid COVID-19 concerns.

It appears Davis and Stiner took advantage of their time this offseason to train in that department, getting bigger and stronger despite being away from the team.

"For not having a spring and not being around [strength and conditioning coach Nick] Savage for very long, I mean they look pretty good, they're pretty stout looking dudes," English said of his unit. "And Shawn, I was looking at him and I’m like, ‘Geez.’ He’s got a bit ole back on him, arms and all that stuff."

Davis led English's four-man rotation at safety last year with 493, with Stiner coming in at 396. Jeawon Taylor, who has since graduated, finished with 433, while senior Brad Stewart Jr. posted 295. Davis and Stiner were the most consistent of the bunch and had a knack for creating turnovers, combing for seven interceptions.

While Davis leads, Stiner and Stewart are likely to see a snap increase in order to replace Taylor as English tweaks his rotation. Trey Dean III has also begun working at safety and should spend some time there, and true freshmen Rashad Torrence II and Mordecai McDaniel are making progress, English noted.

"It's still playing itself out. But, it may be a little bit different simply because we're in a situation where we have some older guys who are ahead of some of the younger guys," said English. "I think we have to be conscious of how guys are playing a little bit more, as opposed to, you know, when guys are kind of playing evenly you can play them that way, but when they're not, you might have to react a little differently.

"But I feel good about going into this season with these players because they’ve played a lot of football and they’re mature, they’re physically mature. You watch them practice, I mean, they’re pretty physical players right now and they’re smart and they’ve been around. I’m excited.”