Looking Back On, and Forward To, Florida's LB Unit
Photo: Shemar James; Credit: Alex Shepherd
The Gators are entering a crucial offseason, the second of head coach Billy Napier's tenure, looking to turn things around after Florida posted its second consecutive 6-7 record to conclude the 2022 campaign.
After nearly two dozen scholarship players entered the transfer portal and another ten declared for the NFL Draft, the roster will undoubtedly look a lot different in Napier's second year at the helm.
Therefore, All Gators is breaking down every position on Florida's roster as the offseason gets underway, looking back on every contributor's 2022 season and looking forward to each unit's 2023.
We've examined the past and future of the offense with quarterback, running back and wide receiver, tight end and offensive line breakdowns. Thursday and Friday included the defensive line in its entirety, including the JACK Edge rusher position.
Now, we take a look at the inside linebacker unit.
Looking back
The inside linebacker spot was the Gators' most experienced group on either side of the ball in 2022, with two players with five-plus years of college experience under their belt in the second level.
At middle linebacker, sixth-year senior Ventrell Miller returned from a torn bicep that ended his 2021 campaign after just two appearances.
He served as an integral piece in Napier’s first year as head coach, providing what the staff call a four-dimensional player to Patrick Toney’s defense. His knowledge of his role, his teammates' roles, the defense as a whole and what the opposing offense was trying to accomplish propelled him — and the Gators — to make a number of big-time plays throughout the year.
He was flanked by fifth-year senior Amari Burney.
Burney produced his best season in orange and blue after being bounced around the second and third levels of the defense during the majority of his career.
His year was highlighted by a game-sealing interception against Utah in week one, where he picked off Utes' quarterback Cam Rising in the end zone to effectively seal Florida’s upset win over the reigning, and eventual, Pac-12 champion. That marked the beginning of an uber-productive season that sets him up to make a run at a professional career.
Specifically, while Miller provided the sideline-to-sideline speed and gap-filling ability to the rushing game, Burney excelled as a pass rusher to provide a luxury in Toney’s creeper system.
The third man in the rotation was true freshman Shemar James, a bright young star as part of the 2022 recruiting class.
Stepping into a prominent role behind Burney at the weak side linebacker position, James flashed the signs of excellence the new Florida staff saw when they made a considerable run at him to pluck him away from Alabama and Georgia at the buzzer of the transition cycle.
His athleticism paired with a strong understanding of the position equipped James to appear in all 13 games for the Florida defense. He even started in four, mostly coming when the Gators deployed a traditional 3-4 look.
Accounting for 44 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble, James made a significant impact to confirm that the high expectations for his career are warranted.
That trio received the bulk of the snaps.
Behind Miller — to begin the year — sat redshirt freshman Scooby Williams.
The old staff converted him to the inside backer position upon his arrival — a common occurrence for the position with Mohamoud Diabate, Derek Wingo and Williams making the transition.
He showed enough progression in practice to earn the starting spot against USF, but failed to stop the Bulls' offense from producing 286 yards on the ground during an upset scare in Gainesville.
Consequently, he failed to solidify that spot with his gameday performance. Miller’s return after just one-game absence resulted in a competition at No. 2.
Williams saw his playing time dwindle moving forward.
Wingo assumed the backup MLB position later in the year, jumping Williams on the depth chart to then start against Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Diwun Black served as the lone depth piece in Jay Bateman’s subdivision of the roster.
Below, All Gators has compiled the linebackers' stats from 2022.
Miller: 75 tackles, two passes defended, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery
Burney: 79 tackles, four sacks, four passes defended, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery
James: 47 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery
Wingo: 24 tackles, two sacks
Williams: 14 tackles
Black: Three tackles
Looking forward
The luxury of experience in 2022 also creates an issue in 2023.
With Miller and Burney departing for the NFL after exhausting eligibility, and Black transferring to Temple, Florida was left with just three scholarship linebackers heading into year two of Napier’s tenure.
As a result, linebacker was the largest focal point of the Gators' transfer portal efforts in the winter period. Three of the nine total transfer additions were at the ILB spot.
They started with the piece who will fill in on the first-team unit for Miller at middle linebacker with Teradja Mitchell.
“Really excited about Teradja,” Napier said on National Signing Day. “6-foot-1 and a half, he weighs 240 pounds. This guy was voted team captain at Ohio State. He’s a one-year player, but I think with the departure of Ventrell and Burney and Wingo’s injury, I thought that early addition was a big deal. Certainly, from a leadership standpoint, maturity standpoint. Played in some big games. Injured this year or would have had a bigger role at Ohio State.”
During his Buckeyes career, Mitchell showcased a strong knack for working downhill as a run-stopper. That was an area Florida evidently wanted to fix with their additions inside on the defensive line and second level. He totaled 44 tackles in 2021 to make the most significant contribution of his collegiate career before an injury derailed his expected jump as a senior.
Wingo and Williams are expected to occupy second-unit roles again, but expect to contribute more in rotation than in 2022.
Standing next to Mitchell in the starting unit will likely be James, who takes over for his predecessor in Burney. James is slated to take a jump forward in his second collegiate season.
Behind him are the other two transfers, Deuce Spurlock and Mannie Nunnery.
Spurlock comes after a season in the linebacker molding factory that Michigan has become in recent years.
Packing on 20 pounds from arrival to departure, Spurlock provides a game-ready frame to play at either linebacker position. His speed and athleticism equip him to see time at the weak side (where he’ll start), but his added size and pursuit downhill allow him to slide to MLB if needed.
Nunnery has shown promise athletically to contend with opposing tight ends and slot wideouts in coverage — an area the Gators have struggled mightily in recent memory.
However, his lack of expertise comes on special teams, where he proved to be an ace for the Cougars. He’ll look to bolster a struggling third phase of the game for UF.
“Two years ago, he was the national special teams player of the year,” Napier said. “Six-foot-1 and a half, 225-pound guy who, from a testing perspective, [is] already one of the more athletic kids on our team.
The lone high school addition to the unit is Jaden Robinson. He’ll operate as depth at the weak-side linebacker spot but possesses the raw talent to be a pivotal piece to the defense in the future with proper refining.
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