Derek Wingo's Unconventional Rise to a Leadership Role at Florida

Despite his limited playing role over the past three years, Derek Wingo has emerged as a prominent figure in the Gators' locker room. Here is why.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Billy Napier propped up ten players as emerging leaders on the first day of Florida's 2023 spring football camp, admitting he may have forgotten a few while speaking with reporters back in March. 

One of the first the Gators' head coach named on the defensive side of the ball was Derek Wingo, a rising fourth-year junior who has filled in at linebacker near the end of the season and in bowl games — each scenario when UF's depth chart has been relatively depleted — throughout his career. 

It was virtually impossible for outsiders to gauge Wingo's growing influence at spring practice. Aside from rehabilitative activity with trainers observed during media viewing windows, Wingo largely did not participate in the training camp while recovering from multiple injuries. 

Napier wasn't just saying any name that came to mind, though, as Wingo surfaced as a prominent figure throughout Florida's offseason workouts. He did not allow two surgical procedures since late Dec. 2022 — one tending to a minor foot fracture and the other to a longer-term shoulder injury — to keep him away from team activities. 

As the 2023 season approaches, his dedication to the cause hasn't gone unrecognized inside UF's Heavener Football Training Center.

Wingo earned the program's "Danny Wuerffel Man of the Month" honors for January, and his loyalty to the team could finally pay dividends on the field in 2023 following linebacker Ventrell Miller and Amari Burney's elevation to the NFL. 

After averaging nine defensive snaps per game across his first 34 career appearances, how did Wingo get here?

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In order to fully understand his rise to a respected position in Florida's locker room, one would need to look back on Wingo's prep days at Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas. 

Wingo was vaulted into a leadership role in the form of starting quarterback halfway through his first varsity season of high school, his sophomore year in 2017.

"I think a lot of guys forgot," Wingo told All Gators in an exclusive interview, referencing his offensive roots. "I was actually a quarterback for a very long time." 

Wingo performed admirably in his quick ascension, scoring nearly every eight times he threw the ball or ran with it himself, but struggled with turnovers by throwing more interceptions than touchdowns in his debut campaign.

Still, STA powered its way through Florida's Class 7A playoffs with Wingo behind center. But the Raiders' 27-20 loss to Venice High in the state semifinals — a game in which he tossed two picks — stung, leading Wingo to ponder what his future on the gridiron could look like if not as a passer.

That was when he flipped from one side of the ball to the other, to develop as an edge rusher under a trio of St. Thomas Aquinas assistant coaches who had previously played for Miami Dolphins: Pro Football Hall of Fame edge rusher Jason Taylor, All-Pro cornerback Sam Madison and linebacker Twan Russell. 

"That was kind of what I've always wanted to do. I wanted to be aggressive," Wingo expressed. "Already having a quarterback mentality, a leadership role, that just transitioned from the quarterback position over to linebacker."

Wingo immediately thrived within his new role, calling the transition "very easy to make" with the collection of elite football minds aiding in his move. He produced six sacks and 12 tackles for loss during his junior regular season, per MaxPreps, while scholarship offers began to pour in from across the nation. 

He briefly committed to Penn State but flipped to Florida just before his senior year, a final span in Navy and Gold that resulted in 18 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, 62 total tackles and Gatorade Florida Football Player of the Year honors. Wingo tallied four sacks between the 2019 Class 7A state championship and GEICO State Champions Bowl, both games ending in wins for STA.

But despite his newfound success as a rusher, Wingo wasn't done switching positions. 

Standing at 6-foot-2, 216 pounds upon arrival at UF, playing the edge was not in Wingo's future. He understood his physical limitations and recognized the need to make another change, sliding inside of the typical defensive structure to off-ball linebacker. 

There, Wingo could best combine his aggressive nature and the leadership skills that translated to defense from his time as a quarterback.

"I think being an off-ball player fits me a lot better, and now I feel like I'm finally starting to fill into that and do that," Wingo said. "A leadership role, that's a huge thing. Being able to call plays, being smart in the playbook, knowing what's going on, knowing more than just your position, being a 4-D player."

The dimensional scale Wingo mentioned represents Napier's method of determining a player's comfort on the field.

According to Napier, a one-dimensional player knows their own duties on a given snap, 2-D players can help others at their position line up, 3-D players understand the obligations of their entire side of the ball, and 4-D players can comprehend the responsibilities of all 22 players on the field — offense and defense.

"I feel like I was that guy in high school," Wingo suggested, "doing all that."

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Unlike his quick materializing as an edge rusher, though, transitioning to the second level of the defense proved to be no easy feat. The ability to ensure the unit lines up correctly pre-snap, effectively communicate with 10 others on the field, and of course play against the run and pass are among the numerous skills that must be developed over time. 

The change required another handful of mentorships. Given the fluid state of college football, those tend to come and go quickly. 

Christian Robinson was his first inside linebacker influence, serving as Wingo's lead recruiter and eventual position coach at Florida. Robinson was entering his third season as an on-field instructor when Wingo enrolled at UF in 2020, after hanging up his own cleats from linebacking at Georgia eight years prior.

Robinson's defensive coordinator with the Bulldogs was Todd Grantham, who held the same position with the Gators when Wingo arrived in Gainesville. 

Robinson began his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Grantham at UGA, and after a one-season reunion in the same capacities under head coach Dan Mullen at Mississippi State in 2017, the trio made the move to Florida with Robinson earning an on-field promotion along the way.

"That was a really cool part about him, being so young and understanding what you're going through," Wingo said about Robinson. "He went through the whole process and did all that. It was really cool to get that perspective from him. He had a lot of experience, he's been around football for a very long time. He was in coach Grantham's defense for 10-plus years.

"My connection with him, it obviously went way back all the way to recruiting, but to be able to spend that time off the field and in the film room, he kind of understood how I wanted to learn it and what made me learn best."  

Robinson and Grantham limited Wingo's usage to just 32 defensive snaps as a freshman while he picked up the position's ins and outs. 22 of the reps were in Florida's 55-20 loss to Oklahoma in the 2020 Cotton Bowl, with Miller — the Gators' starting middle linebacker — among over a dozen players that were inactive for the game. 

Wingo's playing time remained in short supply as a redshirt freshman until Week 11 of the 2021 campaign, the week after Grantham was fired and Robinson was promoted to interim defensive play-caller. 

Whether it was a result of their relationship or Florida's defense needing reinforcements on a 93-snap day, Wingo was on the field for a career-high 24 defensive snaps in Florida's hard-to-watch, 70-52 victory over Samford of the FCS. He saw an uptick in reps two weeks later with 31 against Florida State before starting in place of Mohamoud Diabate against the UCF Knights in the 2021 Gasparilla Bowl.

That was when Wingo began to feel confident in what Robinson had taught him throughout his positional move.

"Things starting to click at the end of 2021, the UCF game," Wingo recalled. "I feel like that's when I started to understand, 'Okay, this is what I'm gonna do.' I felt confident, mentally and physically."

With 159 defensive snaps to his name that season including 122 over the final four weeks, Wingo compiled 15 total tackles including half of a tackle for loss, one pass breakup and a quarterback pressure. 

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But while things were beginning to look up for Wingo, the trajectory of his team was trending the other way.

A 24-23 overtime loss at Missouri the week after the Samford debacle was Mullen's final game as UF's head coach. Robinson and the rest of Mullen's assistant staff were gone a month later, upon the conclusion of the season and Florida's hiring of a new leader.

"Honestly, obviously it was a little stressful. There were a lot of things going through my head," Wingo admitted about the coaching transition. "I was kind of checking Twitter every day, trying to figure things out and see where it is. I was doing my research and looking into who everybody was."

Soon enough, Napier was named Florida's newest head coach, Patrick Toney rapidly followed Napier from Louisiana to become the Gators' defensive coordinator and Jay Bateman was hired to oversee Wingo's inside linebacker position group. 

Understanding a massive roster overhaul was ahead, the trio encouraged Miller to return to the program as a sixth-year redshirt senior with his COVID-19 eligibility extension, hoping to maintain a veteran presence in the middle of an otherwise youthful defense. Burney also stuck around for a fifth-year senior season. 

To pair with their retainments, one of Napier's first wins on the recruiting trail was highly-rated linebacker Shemar James' Dec. 2021 re-commitment to Florida. He was immediately viewed as a player who could make an impact early in his career.

Wingo's on-field ascent, witnessed just weeks before, was quickly overshadowed. 

But Wingo didn't allow what was out of his control to cloud his determination to make an impact at UF. Unlike some teammates who sought greener pastures through the transfer portal, Wingo put his head down and returned to work.

"I said, this is the place that I wanted to be. This is a place that I wanted to earn my degree from that I wanted to play football for," said Wingo. "I felt like I still had a very good opportunity to play football here at a very high standard."

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Although they stood in the way of his increased utilization, Wingo quickly grew to appreciate Miller and Burney's return to the Gators. Both players broadened Wingo's perspective of leadership and how it can be applied, in their own ways.

"It allowed me to mature a lot better," Wingo reflected. "It allowed me to learn a lot more and understand my role as a player."

Burney's persistence with the Gators, in particular, demonstrated to Wingo how rewarding patience can be. 

Once a safety and wide receiver in high school, Burney was subject to several position switches throughout his UF career — from safety, to nickel cornerback, to outside linebacker then inside linebacker — but never received a developmental redshirt year to pick the spots up.

Inconsistent — "unacceptable," he labeled it at one point — play marred Burney's first four years in Gainesville as a result. His playing time in that stretch was indicative: Burney started more games as a freshman (three) than as a senior (two), and an on-field rate of 51% as a junior was his peak.

But Burney was not deterred. 

Settling into the weak-side linebacker role of Toney's defense with the belief of his new coaches fueling him, Burney turned in career numbers across the board as a super senior, en route to hearing his name called by the Las Vegas Raiders in the NFL Draft this past April.

"He was a guy who did whatever he was asked. Switching positions here, doing this and doing that, anything that he was ever asked to do, he just said, 'Yes, sir. Yes, coach.' " Wingo recalled of Burney.

While Burney taught Wingo patience, Miller helped inspire his confidence.

Miller was on the rise as a potential draft prospect entering the 2021 campaign, but an arm injury suffered in Week 2 ended his season. His absence in the middle led to a revolving door within the linebacker unit, with Burney, Diabate (now in the NFL), Jeremiah Moon (NFL), Ty'Ron Hopper (now with Missouri) and eventually Wingo walking through. 

Respect for Miller in Florida's locker room had only grown over the years, with his on-field impact dating back to 2018. He was voted team captain by his teammates numerous times and represented the Gators at SEC Media Days twice, in 2021 and 2022.

When the defense had a question, its members often looked to Miller for an answer. There was a noticeable difference in the unit's performance, for the worse, when he wasn't there to respond. 

"The biggest thing from Ventrell was definitely leadership," Wingo remarked. "Being able to earn respect from the guys, being able to go out in the field and everyone is confident that you're gonna be able to make the right calls and lead them in the right direction, and in the crunch times that you're gonna be able to make that play. 

"Just being able to see him have that confidence to go out there and do that, I mean, that's something great to follow behind."

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The examples both players set — specifically Miller, as Wingo was his backup at middle linebacker — prepared Wingo for the biggest moment of his career to date. Down 28-18 early in the fourth quarter at Vanderbilt this past November, Miller was ejected for targeting while tackling Commodores tight end Ben Bresnahan on first down. 

For the first time in his career, Wingo took the field as a member of Florida's legitimate first-team defense, a relatively healthy unit that was not yet impaired by transfer portal departures, unlike those he had participated in the two seasons prior.

And although he only saw 13 snaps that day as the clock was winding down, Wingo — filling in as the unit's lead communicator — made the most of them.

Shortly after his insertion, Wingo blew up the run option of an RPO with a blitz through the A-gap, forcing Vanderbilt quarterback Mike Wright into a throw. Wright quickly targeted a deep fade down the left sideline, but the pass was underthrown and intercepted by UF cornerback Jason Marshall Jr.

Turnover on downs committed by Florida's offense offered Vanderbilt the ball at the UF12. Back-to-back-to-back run stops — Wingo handled the second solely and assisted defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. with the third — held the Commodores to a field goal.

Wingo pitched in on another couple of run stops on the Commodores' final offensive drive, forcing a punt. He finished the game with six total tackles.

"I feel like I was prepared to go out there and do that," Wingo said.

"Something that I learned from Ventrell was, you know, you prepare the same every week. No matter who you're playing, no matter what you're doing. Being able to have the preparation that you're going to be the starting linebacker, you're going to be in every single play and you're gonna have to make every single call." 

With Wingo inside the lines, Florida limited Vanderbilt to three points across three drives, each beginning or making it into UF territory. The Gators' offense received as many chances to score but capitalized just once, and even the touchdown ended on a sour note, as the extra point attempt went wide left.

The Commodores beat the Gators at home for the first time since 1988, by a score of 31-24.

Florida floundered its way through the remainder of the campaign, dropping the regular season finale at Florida State, 45-38, before getting trounced by Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl, 30-3.

Much like in years past, Wingo worked the closing shift at linebacker for Florida. 

But this time was different.

He started in place of Miller in both contests, with the veteran returning to play in the second half against the Seminoles due to the targeting ejection then bypassing the postseason to prepare for the draft. Wingo compiled 10 total tackles, a sack and two quarterback pressures between those appearances. 

"There were ups and downs last year throughout the entire season. But when the time came for me to be able to step up to the plate and fill in the shoes of Ventrell, I felt like I did that," Wingo voiced. "I felt the confidence. The other players on the team had my back." 

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Not only have Wingo's teammates grown to appreciate his presence within the program. Florida's coaches have grown to admire his influential demeanor, too, even while he was sidelined earlier this year.

Perhaps most importantly, the assistant who personally oversees Wingo's development has been impressed by his work ethic.

Bateman heaped praise on Wingo's approach to the offseason program while in recovery mode, noting the linebacker was active in team workouts in spite of his limitations and frequently in the ear of his position coach during spring practice in order to keep up.

"He wears me out," Bateman joked about Wingo on April 4.

"He stands right beside me and asks me every play, 'What's going on? Who should have had that guy?' ... Mentally he's taken his game to another level, and we will be a lot better football team when he's back." 

Without Miller and Burney around to lead the defense in 2023, a pivotal year for the unit to display growth under a new defensive coordinator in Austin Armstong, the team will undoubtedly depend on Wingo to apply what he has learned on and off the field in the elevated role he has longed for moving forward.

Wingo's on-field opportunity to serve in such a position begins when Florida's fall camp begins on Sunday. But as his head coach stated, his impact has already been felt as the Gators prepare for the upcoming campaign. 

Given the chance to expand upon his impression of Wingo following spring camp, Napier inferred that the leadership qualities he has exhibited were acquired during his time at St. Thomas Aquinas, a program with a "fantastic culture" that engrained a "coach's perspective" into the player.

"He knows what it looks like. He knows when things are in a good place and when they’re not," Napier said.

"He’s been great in terms of his feedback and accountability. He’s had a lot to do with some of the good things that have happened with our team this spring. I think where we started in January, he had a tremendous amount of input just because he's a smart, aware player."

It was that month, January, when Wingo received his "Man of the Month" recognition from the program. He was also named to the SEC Student-Leadership Council in February, joined by three other athletes from various sports across the conference. 

The intra-program award was an achievement Wingo had sought for some time, drawing his motivation from none other than Miller, the Gators' "Man of the Year" in 2022. 

"If you win that, you've been upholding the standard and doing the things that you're supposed to be doing," Wingo stated. "It's coming in early, staying in late, being in the training room, being in the film room, even at certain times when you maybe should be at home."

It's setting a strong example for others. Through his actions and commitment to his team, Wingo has never shied away from doing that for his peers.

But after several years of doing so behind the scenes, Wingo is now a leader in the limelight. 

"I feel like I'm finally the guy that people can look to as a standard," Wingo said. "I've always wanted to get to that point."

He made it. 

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