Florida Gators 2023 DB Target Sharif Denson: “I Grew Up A Fan Of Them”
The Florida Gators defensive back position started to undergo a substantial reconstruction following its poor performance in the 2020 season.
Blaming the secondary for a large portion of the defensive troubles last season — allowing 428 yards and 30.4 points per game — cornerback’s coach Torrian Gray and safeties coach Ron English were dismissed from their posts on the Gators staff.
Bringing in Jules Montinar as the cornerback's coach and Wesley “Crime Dog” McGriff for the safeties and STAR position, Florida is looking to take a large leap on 2021 to return to the DBU conversation in the coming year. Equipped with a stellar recruiting class in the defensive backend containing talents like Jason Marshall Jr., Corey Collier Jr. and Donovan McMillon, UF’s retooling efforts are off to a quick start, something the new staff personnel looks to maintain going forward.
Even though the 2022 recruiting class sits as top priority right now, Florida has already begun to dip its hand into the 2023 class for future answers at DB in the form of a Jacksonville (Fla.) defensive back Sharif Denson.
In an exclusive interview with AllGators, Denson outlined his strengths and weaknesses as a player, his relationship with Florida as it stands and his desire to “stay in Florida" at the next level.
Playing in a primarily man-to-man scheme in high school, Denson has been given an opportunity to home in on his coverage that will translate to the collegiate level. Believing he holds many strengths including “ability to play man coverage, versatility, physicality and tackling,” Denson makes up for the fact that he is a bit undersized at just 5-foot-11, 170-pounds.
Showcasing incredible instincts when defending the pass, Denson consistently finds himself in the right place to make plays, given his quickness and arm length. Drawing interest from a multitude of power five schools, Denson has seen two schools apart from the pack.
“Florida State and Florida,” he said regarding the teams that keep the most consistent contact with him. Likely to be a two-way battle down the stretch of his recruitment, Jules Montinar recently introduced himself to the talented Bartram Trail High School product.
“I just recently talked to coach Jules the new defensive backs coach. I talked to him on Tuesday (March 16th),” Denson said. It was his first time talking to a Florida position coach since Torrian Gray let go following the 2020 season. “He was just asking me how I was doing. It wasn’t really like a recruiting type of call; he was just getting to know me and stuff like that. It was more of an introductory call.”
Mentioning his childhood ties to Florida, Denson puts the Gators in a favorable position for his talents as things stand. “I grew up a fan of them, so to go to their school that would be cool. I like The Swamp feeling, the DBU feeling” that UF provides.
Looking to find an environment of transparency following his junior season, Denson says that his ideal landing spot is “a school where I know the coaches, and I know what the coaches' intentions are.”
For example, if I’m talking to Florida and I’m considering going to the school, I want the schools to tell me how they are going to use me and show me ways that they can use so that I can feel like as soon as I get there, I can make an impact,” he continued. “Or as soon as I get there, I’m going to play. I want that assurance. I want to have a winning coaching staff.”
Finally, he mentioned his desire to win and the importance of a winning atmosphere and coaching staff in his decision. “A coaching staff that knows how to win, knows how to coach winners and a good defensive back coach in a school that coaches DBs.”
Not one for the antics of top lists, Denson looks to keep a rather closed lid on his recruitment leading up to a decision. While he did pin the end of his junior season as the time for his commitment, he mentioned that he might just jump right into a commitment without trimming down his offer list, which currently sits at 24.
With plenty of room to build upon his still unpolished skillset and grow – considering he’s only a sophomore in high school – Denson is an intriguing prospect to watch going forward and could very well wind up in Gainesville as part of the 2023 class.