Defensive Line Depth Should Be a Strength for Florida in 2023

Florida should profile more voluminous and flexible on the defensive interior in 2023

Gervon Dexter was a bit of everything while at Florida. He was a disrupter, a versatile force and actually a workhorse in the process. 

PFF tabbed the former Lake Wales standout as the fourth-most utilized Power Five defensive lineman during the 2022 season, tallying a whopping 682 snaps. 

On one hand, the coaching staff depended on Dexter and his availability was a strength in and of itself. On the other, that's a bit too tall a task in the always-grueling SEC.

Looking ahead to 2023, in the middle of spring practice and well beyond, the lack of depth may not present the same in Gainesville thanks to an influx of talent from the 2023 recruiting class and beyond. 

“Now we have a lot more depth," defensive line coach Sean Spencer recently told reporters. "You’ve got the freshmen coming in and then we got two transfers in Caleb Banks and Cam’Ron Jackson, who I think will be really, really helpful for us and we’re really excited about them.”

The latter veteran acquisition, Jackson, has some of the more unique measurables of any prospect at the position — listed north of 6-foot-6. There is athleticism to pair with it, per his new position coach.

“He can move. He’s very, very limber, I mean he can move," Spencer said. "He’s got great balance, strong at the point of attack. For a guy that’s 6-foot-7, he can move. He’s pretty impressive.”

Returning Gators of course factor into the program's newfound comfort of interior beef. It doesn't come without progress from standout underclassmen like Chris McClellan, whose "potential is endless," to the often talked-about Desmond Watson. 

The Tampa native, in particular, could benefit from situational snaps and a consistent rotation given his immense frame. The work ethic this spring, even in sprinting drills, from Watson has impressed Spencer.

"He sets the tone," Spencer said of Watson. "If you’re running behind him, then something’s wrong with you. He sets the tone. He’s a guy that knows the game really, really well. Very, very smart and knows the game of football. He can take it from the classroom to the field very quickly so we’re looking for him to be in that role.

Desmond Watson just THREW that man to the GRAHND#LVBowl pic.twitter.com/KI2RBSJ57E

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 17, 2022

"There’s tremendous competition and competition makes him play a lot harder.” 

Watson isn't the only interior talent working on his weight this spring. 

“One of the things I think is Jamari Lyons has done a great job of controlling his body weight," Spencer noted. "He was probably in the high 330s and he’s down around 318 right now so he’s much healthier and he can sustain out there a lot longer."

More trench talent is slated to join the program in the near future with Gainesville's own Gavin Hill set to enroll this summer, and of course the post-spring transfer portal could offer UF further defensive line reinforcements if necessary. Beyond assimilation, developing a natural rotation will take place before fall camp. 

“Ideally, in a 70-play game, your top guys are getting about 45 (snaps)," Spencer laid out. "It’s an accumulation of reps throughout the season. It’s not just that particular game. You have to tack that on into 12 or into 13 or possibly even 14 weeks. That’s a lot of reps. I think if you looked at [Dexter’s] play count, it was pretty, pretty high. We got to kind of balance that and you balance that with depth.

"When you have that type of depth, I think you can create the reps that you want.”

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