Florida Gators 2021 Roster Outlook: Secondary
Possibly the biggest weakness within the Florida football program last season, the secondary is in store for a major revamp after it saw several past starters leave to enter the 2021 NFL Draft.
There will also be coaching changes this season. Both secondary coaches, including cornerbacks coach Torrian Gray and safeties coach Ron English, have left the team.
To fill their spots Florida head coach Dan Mullen has hired both Jules Montinar and Wesley McGriff, though it is not yet clear which coach will be manning cornerbacks nor safeties, at least as of the publishing of this article.
Regardless, Florida will have to work quickly to figure out their ideal lineup within the secondary at both cornerback, safety and the STAR positions. For now, the only starter that is entrenched in his role is Kaiir Elam at one of the boundary cornerback positions.
The Gators will be looking to replace safeties Shawn Davis, Brad Stewart, Donovan Stiner and Marco Wilson, who have all since declared for the 2021 NFL Draft. Florida also lost one cornerback, Chester Kimbrough to the transfer portal, he will take his talents to Michigan State.
After previously reviewing each contributor's performance at cornerback and safety for Florida during the 2020 season, it's time to look forward to 2021 by previewing the talent across the unit. Each positional outlook story will feature starting projections from AllGators.
Previous roster outlooks: Quarterbacks; running backs; wide receivers; tight ends; offensive line; defensive line/BUCK rush end
Starters
Outside cornerbacks: Kaiir Elam, Jaydon Hill
The Gators' issues last year did not revolve around their boundary cornerback position. Elam, a rising junior at Florida, is still one of the best cover cornerbacks in the SEC, and played at a high level for much of the 2020 season.
While Florida did have some issues opposite of Elam, Hill was able to put on some solid tape, likely giving him the upper hand opposite of Elam, even with a couple of highly-rated recruits are entering the fray.
Moving forward, Elam should continue his rise in his level of play after being voted as an All-SEC Coaches Team following the 2020 season. He will likely be playing in his last year at Florida, looking to raise his level in preparation for the 2022 NFL Draft.
In 2020, Elam accounted for 39 total tackles (28 solo tackles), one tackle-for-loss, 11 pass breakups and two interceptions.
Opposite of Elam, Hill, a rising sophomore, appeared in all 12 games for Florida last year with five starts at cornerback. He accounted for 14 tackles (nine solos), seven pass breakups which ranked second among all Florida defenders last season (Elam).
Florida will hope to get more out of the position in 2021, and Elam and Hill are the most likely to fill that void.
STAR: Tre'Vez Johnson
A rising sophomore, Johnson, played plenty for Florida last season. He would play on 30.81% of the snaps, including a season-high 79 snaps in the team's bowl game loss against Oklahoma to end the season.
Certainly, Johnson is the next man up following the departure of Wilson and Stewart who ultimately converted to the STAR position in 2020. Florida will need an effective safety/cornerback at the STAR position and Johnson, while not as experienced as Wilson, fits the bill and has the size and athleticism to thrive at the position.
Recruited as a safety in the 2020 Gators recruiting class, Johnson quickly became one of the promising young players within the Florida secondary, even with the struggles at the position throughout the season. Hailing from Bartram Trail (Jacksonville, Fla.), Johnson was not exactly expected to make as big of an impact as he did during his freshman season at the university.
Johnson finished the 2020 season netting 12 solo tackles (15 total), one tackle-for-loss, one interception and two pass breakups.
While those numbers do not necessarily inspire a lot of confidence, some of his play on the field did merit the snaps he was receiving.
Safeties: Rashad Torrence II, Trey Dean
The safety position will certainly be one to keep an eye on this year for Florida. They'll be losing both of its 2020 starters in Stiner and Davis, while STAR/safety, Stewart will also be departing via the 2021 NFL Draft.
That leaves safety convert, Dean, and rising sophomore, Torrence as the most experienced players in the back end.
Whoever the unit is coached by will certainly have his work cut out for him. In 2020, Florida was one of the worst collective secondary units in the country, ranking No. 100 in the nation in pass defense. Torrence and Dean may be a short-term solution, however, as long as they both continue to improve at the position.
While incredibly young, Torrence was able to find time at the position last season, seeing action in nine total games with three starts to boot. He registered 25 tackles during the year and posted eight stops in the team's Week 1 action against the Ole Miss Rebels.
Florida will hope that Torrence, a highly-rated prospect out of the 2020 recruiting class, can continue to develop. With Dean getting likely his final opportunity for significant playing time, it will be interesting to see his development too.
Depth
The secondary for Florida is likely the youngest and least experienced group currently on the roster. There is plenty of untapped potential within the group, however, particularly among the players expected to provide depth at the position.
At cornerback, Florida will return rising sophomores Jahari Rogers, Avery Helm and Ethan Pouncey, while signing two cornerbacks during this year's cycle in Jason Marshall Jr. and Jordan Young.
Marshall, one of the top-rated recruits in the nation in 2021, is expected to eventually, perhaps sooner rather than later, play a big role with the Florida secondary.
At safety, Florida will have Mordecai McDaniel, Kamar Wilcoxson, and Fenley Graham returning. All three players have received praise, McDaniel for his abilities within the secondary during practices and Graham for his abilities as a return specialist. Wilcoxson made the move to safety from cornerback late last season after reclassifying and enrolling at UF at 17 years old.
Time will tell whether any of these three play significantly within the Florida secondary, but don't be surprised to see McDaniel vying for playing time at some point during the season.
The Gators have also brought in three new players as freshmen part of the 2021 recruiting class at safety in Dakota Mitchell (a likely STAR convert), Donovan McMillion and top-rated safety Corey Collier Jr.
While it is rare for Florida to deploy freshmen early in their career, due to the volatility at the position, it wouldn't be surprising to see many of them see snaps in 2021.
Final thoughts
It will be tough for Florida to be worse within its secondary in 2021 than it was in 2020, ranking No. 100 nationally against the pass, the youth at the position is a high concern for many reasons.
While there is plenty of potential with the group, having a significant number of players who have not even played a snap of college football does not bode well for the team's prospects heading into the season.
With that said, the future at the position certainly does look bright, particularly at cornerback as Marshall was one of the most highly-coveted cornerback prospects in the nation during his cycle. Florida has looked to revamp its secondary for beyond 2021 and it has shown in each of their priority targets throughout the year.
For now, expect there to be plenty of bumps in the road as Florida tries to change the guard over, but perhaps some bright points throughout the year as there will certainly be players who have high potential receiving snaps for the very first time, no longer sitting quietly on the bench while veterans continue to take up the room.
