Assessing Florida’s many position battles amid 2024 Florida fall camp

The Florida Gators have one of the toughest schedules in America for the 2024 college football season . And while they’ve got plenty of dynamic weapons returning like quarterback Graham Mertz and receiver Eugene Wilson III , the Gators have plenty of questions that still remain.

Spring ball and fall camp are usually great times for college coaches to settle the questions on their roster before they dive into the grind that is the college football season. Florida just began fall camp a few days ago and they’re in the middle of settling the questions on their roster. They’re still ironing out some decisions to be made at several different spots on their roster.

GatorOnline’s Zach Abolverdi joined Andy Staples On3 to discuss the different position battles in fall camp. And Florida has an extensive number of position battles to take a look at. So, let’s dive into it.

“Man, that’s a good question because they actually have a lot,” Abolverdi explained.

Florida linebacker: Mike

“Let’s start on defense, because that’s the most important side of the ball. I think at Mike linebacker where we lost Scooby Williams ,” he began. “You’ve got Pup Howard and Derek Wingo for that spot. That’s another guy that they brought in from the portal [Pup Howard] . They need help tackling, Andy. And Pup Howard I’ve said this stat before, which I think is a big deal.

“He led South Carolina in tackling as a true freshman, per PFF. And he played in all 13 games, so it wasn’t like these were just a few snaps that got him an 88 overall grade, according to Pro Football Focus. So, he’s a guy that should make a difference, but again, he’s still gotta beat out a guy in Derek Wingo who’s been there a long time. Knows that defense.”

Grayson “Pup” Howard was one of the most coveted prospects in America coming out of high school. In the 2023 cycle, he earned a four-star ranking in the On3 Industry Rankings . He was also selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

In 2023, Derek Wingo saw action in 12 games for the Gators, racking up 17 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two quarterback hurries, a pass breakup, and a blocked punt. He’s seen action in each of the past four seasons for the Gators, including nine games his freshman season in 2020.

Florida Defensive Line: F Spot

“You know, I think along the defensive line that F spot is really salty,” Abolverdi continued. “That’s gonna be a four-man rotation between Justus Boone , Tyreak Sapp , LJ McCray , and Kamran James . All four of those guys are gonna play. You know, I think Boone or Sapp will start. But, like, how that rotation looks and who plays on what downs and what packages. That could change over the course of camp and over the course of the season.”

Justus Boone did not play at all in 2023 due to a season-ending injury he suffered before the start of the year. But in 2022, he appeared in all 13 games, tallying 24 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, and a quarterback hurry.

Tyreak Sapp started in 11 games last year for the Gators, tallying 24 tackles, two sacks, and 4.5 tackles for loss.

Florida Defensive Line: Defensive End

“I think at end with Joey Slackman and Caleb Banks , that’s a really stiff competition,” he continued.

Slackman was ranked the No. 2 defensive lineman transfer in the On3 Industry transfer rankings for the 2024 class, just behind Ole Miss signee Walter Nolen. According to Pro Football Focus , Slackman is the highest-graded returning defensive tackle in the SEC this year. He has a PFF grade of 90.5, almost 10 points higher than the No. 2-rated defensive tackle, Kentucky’s Deone Walker.

In 2023, Banks started in 11 games for the Gators, tallying 19 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and one sack.

Florida Offensive Line — Right Guard

“And then you move over to the offense, Andy. And on that right side of the line, both of those spots to me are up for grabs,” the senior writer for GatorsOnline explained. “Like Damieon George is the [most likely] candidate to start at right guard. He moved there in the spring from right tackle. But they’ve now got Kamryn Waites back at right guard, repping there. Seeing if he can give him some competition. Because Damieon George basically just got that spot with anybody challenging him in the spring. So, now you’ve got Waites there to kind of compete with him.”

George saw game action in all 12 games last year for Florida, recording starts in 11 of those. He finished up the season with a start at left tackle, helping Montrell Johnson rush for 107 yards against the Florida State Seminoles.

Florida Offensive Line — Right Tackle

“And then at right tackle, where I think everybody just assumed that Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson , the transfer from San Diego State would win that job,” he stated. “He’s getting some competition from Caden Jones . A guy who’s never played a college game and redshirted last year. But he’s made that much progress at the offensive tackle position. I mean, the guy looks impressive when you see him in person. So, I don’t think anybody saw that coming. That’s a heated battle from what I’ve been told.”

Crenshaw-Dickson brings a ton of experience to the Gators’ offensive line. He appeared in 37 games during his career with the Aztecs. As a sophomore in 2021, he made 14 starts at right tackles. According to Pro Football Focus, he played 932 of the team’s 967 offensive snaps, the second most on the team. According to PFF, he allowed just one sack in 403 passes in 2021.

Caden Jones tips the scales at 6-7.5, 350 pounds. In the 2023 cycle, he was rated as the No. 23 offensive tackle in America, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. His uncle, Marcus Jasmin, was a former defensive tackle in the National Football League.

Florida Offensive Line — Center, Guard, and Left Tackle

“And one thing we also saw this week is Rod Kearney , their backup center is getting cross trained at guard,” he began finishing up. “And that’s something that they’ve done in the past. Didn’t know if they would continue to do it, because of [Kamryn Waites] being there, because of Bryce Lovett’s progress at guard. He’s another guy they really like.

“But now they also got Rod Kearney repping there because you add in Jason Zandamela . The USC transfer . And now he’s playing center. So, now, you’ve got more depth there. They’re in a much better spot. I mean, over at left tackle, you’ve got Devon Manuel with Austin Barber .”

Rod Kearney will be heading into his redshirt freshman year with the Gators. He didn’t see any action in the 2023 campaign because he redshirted. As a high school prospect, he was ranked as a four-star prospect and the No. 122 overall player in the country, according to the On3 Industry Rankings for the 2023 cycle. He played his high school football with Orange Park (Orange Park, Florida).

“So, they’ve got more bodies. And if somebody’s not getting the job done, they don’t just have to sit there and eat it anymore. They can put somebody else in the game,” Abolverdi finished.

Florida is set to kick off their 2024 campaign in a highly anticipated matchup against the Miami Hurricanes. That one is set for Aug. 31. Kickoff for that one is at 3:30 p.m. EST and the game will be nationally televised on ABC.

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