Gators FILM ROOM: When Healthy, Jabari Zuniga Has Been a Wrecking Ball

He hasn't seen the field consistently due to an ankle sprain, but when he's on it, Jabari Zuniga is making an impact.

Matt Stamey-USA TODAY Sports

Jabari Zuniga is the highest graded Florida defender according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), but due to a nagging high ankle sprain, has only played on 125 defensive snaps for the Gators. Expectations were very high entering the season for the redshirt senior from Marietta, Georgia, and rightfully so as Zuniga has shown why he is a first-round NFL talent  in limited snaps this season.

Zuniga is a game-changer who can move all around the defensive line, as he can play inside as a 3-technique defensive tackle and outside as a defensive end (5-tech). The former three-star has played incredible considering his ankle sprain, which is a brutal injury regardless, and especially in the trenches of the SEC. 

His fundamentals are stellar, as Zuniga excels in run support, particularly as a 3-tech. Zuniga grades out as elite (90.3 of 100) within PFF’s run defense category, which goes to show how much of an effect he has on the game when he is at full strength.

Even on a sprained ankle, Zuniga is still a playmaker, as he has made tackles for losses in both the LSU and UGA games while playing far below 100%. Zuniga was only able to play 17 defensive snaps in Death Valley and then struggled to get back on the field against UGA as he ended up with only 24 defensive snaps in the biggest game of the season.

The redshirt senior is very quick off the ball - one of his best traits as he can blow a play up before it even starts. Zuniga is the reason Florida was able to stop the delayed draw plays that LSU was calling before they started, as he shut one draw early in the third quarter by beating the tackle off the edge, this time as a 5-tech. Zuniga got the tackle off balance and got back into the play to bring down Edwards-Helaire for a two-yard loss.

Georgia called a similar draw (without the delay) on the first drive against the Gators, and Zuniga was able to split the guard and the tackle as a 3 tech to tackle D’Andre Swift for a five-yard loss. The speed the redshirt senior brings off the ball is electric and is game-changing, to say the least.

Zuniga can break through any in every offensive line that is put in front of him and can find a way into the backfield regardless of others around him. The first clip is from the LSU game as Zuniga traverses across the LSU line to make a tackle on John Emery Jr. for a short gain. Zuniga is lined up as a 3T yet again and avoids the guard who is trying to cut block him. 

The guard whiffs and Zuniga manhandles the tackle, getting across his body to get to Emery. The first clip from the Miami fan is simply right place, right time, as Zuniga gets around the safety and Brevin Jordan doesn’t attempt to even block Zuniga, which results in no gain. In the last clip, Zuniga again controls the tackle by getting across his body to make a play on the running back, this time resulting in a loss of two.

The former basketball player is also effective by creating pressure in the passing game, and he is credited with three sacks, and seven 13 QB pressures according to PFF. Throughout this season Zuniga has accumulated a grade of 88.8 for pressuring the quarterback, which is considered a Pro Bowl grade on PFF’s scale. 

Though, Zuniga hasn’t had a sack since the UT-Martin game, but a lack of explosiveness due to the ankle sprain is to blame. Zuniga does well with using his hands to create space as well, which is vital for any defensive lineman. Still, you can’t teach the level of speed Zuniga has when rushing the quarterback, and this will stay on scouts’ minds come April's NFL Draft.

Jabari Zuniga has been making plays at Florida for many years now, going back to when he had five sacks as a redshirt freshman in 2016. The redshirt senior has now shot his way up the NFL Draft boards years later given his excellent playmaking abilities in both the pass and the run game with his absurd speed and favorable measurables. Zuniga will finish out a remarkable career as a Florida Gator which included countless accolades, and he will only add to the resume of “Pass Rush U” that Florida has been claiming lately.