Three Questions About the Florida Gators Inside Linebackers Entering 2022
Photo: Ventrell Miller; Credit: Florida Gators Creative Media
With spring football squarely in the rearview mirror, and not much going on in the realm of college sports, AllGators has decided to take a stab at going over various position groups for the Florida Gators and the three pressing questions for each room.
Continuing on the defensive side of the ball, the next position we'll cover is Florida's inside linebackers.
Florida hired former North Carolina co-defensive coordinator Jay Bateman as its inside linebackers coach this offseason, taking on a role on new head coach Billy Napier's inaugural coaching staff in Gainesville.
AllGators' three questions by position series
Can Ventrell Miller shake the rust off quickly?
Entering the 2022 season as Florida's unquestioned starting MIKE (middle) linebacker, Ventrell Miller is hoping his sixth season at UF will look a lot more like his fourth campaign than his fifth, if not better.
Miller took over as Florida's starting middle linebacker in 2020 and thrived, leading the team in tackles with 86 while posting 3.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss and three pass breakups. In 2021, however, Miller only appeared in two games before suffering a season-ending biceps injury.
Although he's fully healthy now, Miller's class schedule limited his availability in spring camp. Miller was only able to participate once a week over the first couple of weeks of practice, but he was able to finish on a strong note with seven tackles and a sack in the Orange and Blue game.
A productive veteran at the position, picking up the Gators' new defensive scheme shouldn't be a problem for Miller. Still, it's fair to wonder if he has some rust to continue shaking off due to his injury and inconsistent participation in spring camp.
Florida certainly hopes he doesn't. Miller's production, communication skills and leadership will be crucial to the Gators' defensive success in 2022 — the program will need Miller at the top of his game come week one.
Who will start at MONEY (weak-side) LB?
Consider this a two-part question, and understand that we'll address part two in the section below this one.
Miller is locked in as Florida's starting MIKE linebacker entering 2022, but who will start next to him at MONEY (weak-side) linebacker has yet to be determined. At this point, the two most likely candidates for the role are fifth-year senior Amari Burney and senior Diwun Black.
Burney certainly possesses the most experience of the two, and UF's entire linebacker corps not including Miller. Burney has appeared in 45 games in four years for Florida, posting 144 tackles, three sacks, six tackles for loss, two interceptions and 10 pass breakups, bouncing between starting and rotational roles.
Black, meanwhile, transferred to Florida last year from the junior college level, where he spent two years after finishing his high school career as a Gators commit. He was a standout in spring practice, according to UF's coaching staff.
"The guy’s got some height and length, very instinctive," Napier said of Black after the spring game. "Even when he's wrong a little bit, he can make it right and oftentimes makes plays. He is productive on a consistent basis ... he's probably been the gold standard when it came to effort in the program."
While Burney has been productive, he's struggled with consistency both in run support and coverage, which is why he's not been able to hang onto a starting gig. Pair that with Black's emergence this spring and the writing seems to show up on the wall when it comes to Florida's MONEY linebacker competition.
Don't rule junior Derek Wingo or redshirt freshman Jeremiah "Scooby" Williams out from earning snaps, either. That being said, those two are likely to make up the second-team linebacker depth and rotate into games on occasion.
Can Diwun Black take the unit to new heights?
As mentioned before, Black possesses a skill-set that is unique compared to Florida's other inside linebackers. He's a standout in coverage, in part thanks to his experience as a defensive back dating back to high school.
Black was an interception machine throughout spring camp for the Gators and those coverage skills carried into the Orange and Blue game, where he broke up two passes.
Regardless of who starts at MONEY, expect Black to earn some serious playing time in 2022. Not a single Gators linebacker recorded an interception last year, and the unit has only picked off four passes in the last four years, with Burney tallying two across the 2019-20 seasons.
If spring camp is any indication, Black on his own would be more likely than not to post more interceptions as a starter than Florida's linebackers have averaged per season over the last four years. Considering the Gators ranked No. 11 in the SEC in turnovers forced per game last season, it may be in UF's best interest to give Black the starting nod.
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