How Loyalty Won Out For DL Coach Gerald Chatman and Florida Gators

Gerald Chatman retained multiple key pieces of the Gators' defensive line.

Gerald Chatman retained multiple key pieces of the Gators' defensive line. | Matt Pendleton / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Programs are losing players every offseason. Some see starters depart while others watch impact depth pieces transfer to new schools. It has become unavoidable. 

However, Florida Gators defensive line coach Gerald Chatman worked tirelessly to avoid this conundrum since the program’s mid-season coaching change that occurred last year, and it paid off. 

“I’ve been working to retain those guys since the middle of the season, since we had a coaching change,” Chatman said. “Retention is just as important as recruiting nowadays.”

Despite losing their starting defensive tackle, Michal Boireau, this offseason, Florida found a way to retain defensive linemen Brendan Bett, Joseph Mbatchou, and Jeremiah McCloud for 2026. These are three crucial wins for Chatman and the Gators, mainly because of Boireau's departure and star defensive tackle Caleb Banks leaving for the NFL. 

Bett was the most productive of the three during the 2025 campaign. He totaled 39 tackles, four tackles-for-loss and three sacks in his first season in Gainesville. The tape from last year has Chatman high on Bett’s future. 

“It was really important to keep Bett,” Chatman stated. “He was a productive player last year, and I think he has a lot of upside. He’ll continue to grow. I think with him growing his mentality, and also, he’s established leadership. That’s going to help him hang onto that responsibility and fight for it.”

A late transfer addition, defensive tackle Brendan Bett had three tackles, including one for loss, in his Gators debut. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

His production resulted in some unintended consequences for the Gators, though. Many programs started swimming around him like sharks, wanting him to enter the portal and opt for a change of scenery. 

Fortunately for Florida, it never came to fruition, which is why Chatman let out a big sigh of relief when the portal closed. 

“I was holding my breath for a little bit. Well, not a little bit – I was holding my breath until the portal closed,” Chatman said on the importance of keeping Bett.

The same goes for Mbatchou and McCloud. Teams were trying to persuade the players to jump ship in the offseason, but, like Bett’s situation, they failed to do so. 

“I think the whole country seen those guys grow,” Chatman said, “shoutout to all the guys who tried to get them in the portal.”

Florida’s defensive line coach also added that the duo’s decision to be loyal to the university will pay dividends in the near future. 

“In the world of the transfer portal and NIL, loyalty is lost, and those guys showed loyalty to this university and to the logo, so that means a lot,” Chatman stated. “I believe because of that, they’ll play for that.”

Mbatchou flashed his potential in limited action as a freshman. While he played in nine games, his snap count varied throughout the season. He recorded 11 tackles and one tackle-for-loss in his first year. 

Nonetheless, Chatman still raved about the rising sophomore. 

“He has elite traits: size, ability, winning at the point of attack, block destruction,” Chatman said of Mbatchou. “He’s a hard worker, comes from a really good family background. That’s part of the reason why he’s a really good kid and understands hard work.”

McCloud had a similar story to his teammate, having not been afforded many snaps in his debut season with the Gators. He played in 11 games, logging 13 tackles, 0.5 tackles-for-loss, two pass deflections and a quarterback hurry. 

Even with the minimal amount of live game reps, Chatman described McCloud as a unique player. 

“Jeremiah McCloud, I think he’s a unique player. He’s different,” Chatman said. “McCloud is more unorthodox. He twists up, he’s going to make things happen, and it’s kind of sometimes not the right thing, but it’s the right thing, if that makes sense.”

Jeramiah McCloud has received decent play time last season due to injuries in the Gators' interior defensive line room. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

These three, alongside defensive lineman Jamari Lyons, are expected to be important interior defensive line pieces for the 2026 season. 

However, outsiders are skeptical about the defensive line unit for next season. Can any of these three or the new faces in the room step in for Boireau and Banks? That remains to be seen, but Chatman is confident in his group. 

“I feel great about the nose spot. I feel great about just the challenge of having to build a unit,” Chatman said.