A pair of Florida Gators have made position changes for 2024

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A pair of Florida Gators will be playing new positions when the team opens preseason camp next week, Gators Online has learned. Both moves have happened along the line of scrimmage.

The most notable change is with Brien Taylor Jr. , a JUCO signee in UF’s 2024 class. After playing the F spot in the spring at the EDGE position with Mike Peterson , Taylor has switched to a new room and is now with the defensive line and Gerald Chatman .

Taylor will play the END position in Florida’s defensive scheme with redshirt junior Caleb Banks , graduate transfer Joey Slackman and sophomore Kelby Collins , who made the same position change as Taylor in spring camp.

During spring camp, Florida Gators linebacker Shemar James singled out the 6-foot-4.5, 267-pound Taylor as one of the new players standing out in practice.

“I love BT. He’s a dawg,” James said. “BT, he comes in and he’s ready to work. He don’t say too much. You just see him and he’s working and working. I feel like BT came here with a chip on his shoulder, ready to prove to the world that he can do it.”

The other player making a position change is redshirt junior Kamryn Waites . The 6-foot-8 offensive lineman has switched to back right guard, where he played during the 2022 season. Waites made his first career start at right guard in the Las Vegas Bowl.

He moved to offensive tackle last year and started the final two games of the 2023 season at right tackle. This spring, co-offensive coordinator Rob Sale said Waites was playing left tackle and had a good job losing down (he’s down from 350 pounds to 341).

Now Waites has returned to right guard, where he will compete for the starting job in preseason camp with redshirt junior Damieon George , who started at right tackle last season and made one start at left tackle against FSU when Waites was in the starting lineup.

Waites has previously said he doesn’t prefer one position over another.

“I don’t really have a preference to where I play at. It’s just basically up to Coach’s decision. And I’m just comfortable in either position,” Waites said. “I did think I was gonna play guard and tackle (in 2023). Working my way back (from a torn Achilles), about halfway through fall camp, maybe first game, that’s when I really started getting ready to be back on the field and preparing.”

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