Florida's 2020 Signing Class is Built by Chess-Piece Prospects
No matter what you thought of Florida's early signing class, there's one thing you've got to give head coach Dan Mullen and his recruiting staff credit for.
The class's versatility.
Versatility that provides Mullen and Co. with a ton of flexibility with how they want to build their roster as Mullen's foundation is settled in.
Of the 21 recruits that Florida signed on Wednesday, 11 have experience at multiple positions that could translate to the college level. If you include the BUCK rush end position as a part of Florida's defensive line, then five of Florida's six signings along the defensive trench could play numerous positions alone: Derek Wingo, Gervon Dexter, Jalen Lee, Lamar Goods, and Johnnie Brown.
Joining those five as positionally versatile players are offensive linemen Joshua Braun, Issiah Walker, and Richie Leonard IV on the offensive line, defensive backs Jahari Rogers and Mordecai McDaniel, and tight end Jonathan Odom.
Chess-piece prospects.
As Mullen continues to establish his foundation, building a roster wholly made up of his recruits, this positional versatility will be more than a perk to spread players around the depth chart early on: It will allow him to stick to his philosophy of rotating players for the long haul.
If you've watched Florida football over the first two years of the Mullen era, then you'd understand just how important rotation is across all positions.
This past year, the wide receiver group was the most popular position in terms of rotation, as six receivers finished the regular season with 20+ receptions - eight if you count tight end Kyle Pitts and running back Lamical Perine, who both lined up out wide often.
The efficiency of the rotation - keeping players fresh and not seeing a drop off in production no matter who was on the field - made Florida's efficient passing game sustainable from kickoff until the final snap, week-in, and week-out.
And it could be seen in other areas as well, the receiver position was the one to gain the most notoriety as guys such as Josh Hammond and Freddie Swain were open about their rotation as Florida's starting slot receiver on a weekly basis. But Florida established similar rotations across every level of their defense as well.
Along the defensive line, Florida had 11 players log over 130+ snaps in 2019, despite only four available positions on the playing field at a given time.
At linebacker, a position with a maximum of two players on the field at a time in defensive coordinator Todd Grantham's scheme, five players tallied 130+ snaps.
And in the secondary, albeit having the most players on the field on a snap-to-snap basis with five, had nine contributors top 100 snaps in 2019.
The Gators also had seven offensive linemen play meaningful snaps this season in a rotation to counter its woes in run blocking and attempt to improve.
As Mullen has been building his own roster, he has utilized the previous talent he inherited mixed with his early recruits and transfers to consistently rotate players in and out. At first, it seemed like a way to best utilize a top-heavy roster, but it's clear now that this is an aspect of Mullen's philosophy that will continue on in Gainesville.
Four of the top five members of Florida's 2020 early signing class - Dexter, Wingo, Rogers, and Walker (based on 247Sports Composite Rankings) - are positionally versatile. Dexter, a raw defensive line prospect that stands at 6-7, 286 lbs., has the size and athleticism combo to play virtually any defensive line position Florida wants him to.
Whether it be nose tackle, 3-technique tackle, or strong-side end, Dexter has the potential within his game to shine at any of the three.
Though Wingo primarily served as an edge rusher in St. Thomas Aquinas' defensive scheme, there's no doubt that he can serve as an off-ball linebacker and STAR nickel cornerback for Grantham.
Standing at 6-2, 210 lbs., he's an ideal size for both of those off-ball positions, and he brings experience both as a coverage defender, and as a quarterback - giving him a one-up on understanding route concepts and quarterback reads - to the table. His 22 career sacks and 26 tackles for loss certainly make him an appealing edge prospect, but don't be shocked when Wingo is used as a chess-piece defender, much like Mohamoud Diabate this past season.
Rogers will play cornerback for the Gators, but had never played the position until his senior year of high school. Previously, he too spent time at quarterback, as well as wide receiver. He has even been projected to play safety as a prospect.
Walker has been subject to talks of moving inside to guard, but has played both tackle spots during his high school career and certainly packs the size and athleticism to stick outside in college. And beyond the four players with versatility at the top of the class, Braun has also played both tackle spots, as well as guard. Leonard, meanwhile, is flexible along all three interior offensive line spots.
On the defensive line, Goods, Lee, and Brown are interchangeable prospects across the two interior spots. All three are capable of playing multiple techniques, though Grantham's defense primarily calls for a nose tackle that lines up head-over the center and a 3-technique that hovers over the outside shoulder of either guard.
Perhaps those three linemen could play strong-side defensive end as well - Brown being the most likely of the three to do so at 6-2, 250 lbs., but it is to be expected that all three will rotate at the two interior positions of Florida's defensive line for years to come in packages based on down and distance.
McDaniel will likely stick to safety at Florida, with his best fit being the strong safety position, but he played cornerback during his senior season of high school ball and flashed plenty in man coverage. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Gators get creative with the physical safety prospect on occasion, especially in the event of injuries at cornerback.
Odom is purely a tight end prospect - don't get this confused with the idea of him transitioning to full-time wide receiver or some sort of offensive line-hybrid given his blocking abilities, but Odom lined up pretty much everywhere a tight end can during his career at Jesuit High School.
Whether it be in-line in a traditional set, H-back as a lead blocker or flats/short-field receiving option, as a big-slot receiver, or out wide, Odom has done it all and produced at each position along the way. His stature of 6-6, 235 lbs. will certainly make playing big-slot and out wide a possibility in college.
While signing day had its mix of ups and downs for Florida, the Gators addressed major needs in a big way on Wednesday. Florida has shored up its trenches and secondary for the long haul, and with so many chess-piece prospects within Mullen's third signing class, his philosophy of rotating players to put the team in the best position for success will continue to be an aspect of his foundation.