The Florida Gators regularly produce some of the best talent in the SEC, so it isn’t surprising to see eight UF players named to Phil Steele’s Preseason All-American Teams
A pair of seniors — running back [autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. and punter [autotag]Jeremy Crawshaw[/autotag] — made the first team.
Johnson transferred from Lousiana, following head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and has been the main man in Florida’s backfield since. He’s passed the 800-yard mark on the ground in both of his seasons in Gainesville and scored 15 rushing touchdowns as a Gator. Crawshaw is one of the nation’s premier legs and is among the punters Florida has ever rostered.
Senior cornerback [autotag]Jason Marshall Jr[/autotag]. and junior inside linebacker [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag] join long-snapper [autotag]Rocco Underwood[/autotag] on Steel’s All-SEC Second Team.
A former five-star recruit, Marshall has yet to live up to expectations at the college level, but he’s considered a top draft prospect and will be tested as such. James is a bit more proven, but he’s coming off a serious knee injury that could change how he plays.
Left tackle and leader of Florida offensive line [autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag] joins kicker [autotag]Trey Smack[/autotag] on the Third Team.
Barber also missed time with an injury last season, but he’s the anchor in the trenches for the Gators. He’ll have some help from the transfer portal this season, but look for him to play the same role up front for UF. Smack took over the starting kicker role for [autotag]Adam Mihalek[/autotag] in 2023. He made all 29 extra points he attempted and made 17 of 21 field goals, including a pair of 50-plus-yarders.
Rounding out the list is sophomore safety [autotag]Jordan Castell[/autotag] on the Fourth Team. Pro Football Focus ranked him fifth among freshman safeties who played at least 20% of his team’s snaps.
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