Florida Relying on Third-Year Edge Rusher for Defensive Leadership

In desperate need of a win, this defender's leadership could be exactly what the Gators need for Saturday's game against Mississippi State.

Florida Gators junior edge rusher Kamran James never wavered despite having to wait his turn and then some for a role on the defense. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Kamran James is no stranger to waiting for his turn.

After spending his first two seasons with the Florida Gators as a rotational piece, the third-year edge rusher has emerged as one of the team's top defenders through 2025 with a position-high 19 tackles.

More importantly, he's emerging as a leader for a team in desperate need of a turnaround.

Sitting at 2-4, Florida finds itself in a must-win game against Mississippi State on Saturday after seeing its playoff hopes disappear halfway through the season. And, with a slate that includes Georgia, Ole Miss and Tennessee left, the Gators cannot afford a loss to the Bulldogs.

As a result, James' leadership becomes much more important. Napier named James a captain on Friday.

"Kam James cares. Kam has unique wisdom and perspective," head coach Billy Napier said on Wednesday. "He's able to back up and kind of eliminate his ego and see the team. Really has a coach's perspective. He thinks big picture. Some of my meetings with him, from a leadership standpoint, he's one of the more impressive young men that we have."

Last week's loss to Texas A&M was an outlier for what's been a strong defensive effort this season for the Gators.

Giving up two touchdowns in the first quarter, Florida shut down the Aggies for the rest of the game until a garbage-time touchdown late sealed the loss. The Gators' offense, meanwhile, was shut down for most of the game, only scoring three points across the final three quarters.

That's been a constant this season as Florida's defense kept losses to USF, LSU and Miami close, while the offense seemingly threw the game away.

Nonetheless, James believes the team is staying upbeat.

"I feel like we still have a positive mindset," James said. "That comes from having a lot of veteran leaders that have been through this program for a few years and being able to keep the young ones lifted, and having some great older players is a key to that. I don’t see anyone hanging their heads or giving up on the plan. There’s still a lot of ball in front of us and we still have a lot to prove.”

James himself is one of those veteran leaders and is leading by example. Along with his position-leading 19 tackles, his 71.5 PFF defensive grade ranks third among all UF defensive linemen and edge rushers with at least 100 snaps, and his 76.5 tackling grade is second among all UF defensive linemen and edge rushers with at least 100 snaps.

"I've just seen this year, he's just real dialed in and he's just real hungry," sophomore linebacker Aaron Chiles said. "If you watch him play, I feel like his effort just pops out on tape. He's running after every ball, any screen, he's going down line trying to make a play."

James and the Gators have a tremendous chance for some midseason momentum as favorites against the Bulldogs. While not looking too far ahead, James knows a win could be the snowball Florida needs to turn a dark season around.

“Gain momentum and not let go of it," James said. "We gained momentum after the Texas game but now it’s time to play our best ball at the same time. When the defense is playing at its peak and the offense is playing at its peak, that’s a hard game for anybody.”

Kickoff against Mississippi State is at 4:15 p.m. with television coverage on SEC Network.