Which Position Group Did the Florida Gators Recruit the Best in 2021?
The Florida Gators have officially wrapped up its 2021 recruiting class with National Signing Day now officially in the rear-view mirror.
While there certainly were some areas the team needed to address further than it has thus far, especially along the offensive line, Florida did land a few blue-chip players from one position group in particular: The defensive backs.
In 2021, Florida made an effort to bolster its crop of defensive backs, and headlining the entire class is Sports Illustrated All-American's No. 1 cornerback, Jason Marshall Jr. out of Miami Palmetto (Miami, Fla). He was graded consistently as a blue-chip cornerback prospect, and his prep film backs that up.
At 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, Marshall displays plenty of length at the position to match up against big and tall receivers in the SEC. His productivity, combined with his size and athleticism will give him a head start on most recruits, allowing him to likely be utilized as a true freshman.
The Gators continued to address the corner position with the addition of Jordan Young, a cornerback out of Gaither (Tampa, Fla.), while not as highly thought of as Marshall coming out of high school will certainly add to the depth needed at the position for Florida.
While the cornerback position was targetted near the top of the recruiting board for the Gators, so were the other positions within its defense, particularly at safety and at STAR (nickel cornerback/safety).
The Gators and head coach Dan Mullen didn't look far to recruit its top safety of the 2021 recruiting class, landing Marshall's teammate in Corey Collier Jr. At 6-foot-2, 170 pounds, Collier, like Marshall, posses the size needed to play the position. Though, it is likely the Gators will want both to hit the weights with excellent strength and conditioning coach Nick Savage.
Collier landed as the nation's fifth-best safety and was part of the SI All-American top 99 prospects for the 2021 recruiting class.
The Gators targetted two other defensive backs in Donovan McMillon (Peters Township, Pa.) and Dakota Mitchell (Winter Park, Fla). Both players look to take significant roles with the Florida defense in the near future. While Mitchell is cast as a hybrid cornerback/safety, his likely role with the Gators will be at the team's STAR position.
In 2020, Florida deployed several players at STAR, including freshman Tre'Vez Johnson and veterans Marco Wilson and Brad Stewart. Both Stewart and Wilson have since moved on, declaring for the 2021 NFL Draft, with Johnson as the only returning player on defense to play significant snaps at the position. Mitchell will likely be used early and often as a result.
Florida was routinely beat defensively within its secondary in 2020. Both position coaches Torian Gray (cornerbacks) and Ron English (safeties) have since left the team. Filling their voids will be Wesley McGriff and Jules Montinar, though neither coaches have had their roles clearly defined as of right now.
The Gators attacked the secondary early and often in recruiting, and while the tight end position certainly deserves some praise too (highly rated tight end Gage Wilcox and Nick Elksnis will be joining the program this year), it was the secondary that earns the title of the best position group of the 2021 recruiting class.