Graham Becoming Staple of Florida Gators Defense

The Florida Gators linebacker got the chance to wear the green dot helmet and put on a show in the season opener

The sophomore linebacker put on a show in the starter role | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Heading into the 2025 season, the Florida Gators were left to fill a void by the departure of linebacker Shemar James to the NFL. Sophomore linebacker Myles Graham’s strong showing to open the season made him a strong option to fill that spot. 

Graham was tied for a team-high in tackles with five, one of which was for loss. While it was not the best of opponents for the Gators and Graham, the emerging star continued to shine in his time on the field. 

“It's a blessing, man,” Graham said. “I got my feet wet last year, so I'm getting more reps this year, and I'm just building off of what I started off of last year, so having them reps and I'm just getting better every game, stacking each and every game.”

Graham got his chance to start in the season opener with their top linebacker, Grayson Howard, sitting out. He had the honor of wearing the green dot helmet and communicating with defensive coordinator Ron Roberts for the first time. 

A major takeaway from getting this chance was that he’ll need to adjust to listening in with all the crowd noise around him. 

“It was loud. That was our first time in The Swamp this year,” he said. “It was my first time with the green dot, so I'm still getting used to it. I feel like I did all right, but there's always room for improvement.”

For the time being, he got the job done leading the defense. The Gators shut out the Sharks and held them to 86 total yards and two first downs. 

Graham said it was the first time he had been part of a defense that held their opponent to just two first downs. 

“That's a great brand of football, great brand of defense. It was smash-mouth, that's how we want to play.”

The biggest thing now is to keep their focus on their next opponent and stay consistent in their approach. There have been many times throughout the past couple of years where the highs are great, but the lows quickly follow. 

They will need to build upon this performance and match their energy levels from the opener, especially with USF on the horizon. 

“Same approach, just play Gator football,” Graham said. “Play our best brand of football. No matter who it is, whoever steps into The Swamp, we're going to spot the ball and we're going to play.”