Florida has to replace a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball, but the good news is that it retains most of the contributors on defense from a year ago. The bad news is that those contributors struggled mightily in the SEC-only season, and the play of the defense was a limiting factor for the team in 2020.
The Gators will hope for more success on that side of the ball this season, and it starts with the play of one of the few bright spots from last season, cornerback Kaiir Elam.
Elam, the nephew of former star Gators safety Matt Elam, has impressed in his first two seasons on campus. As a true freshman, he started several games in place of an injured C.J. Henderson before becoming a full-time starter (and one of the best defensive backs in the SEC) last season.
He’s seen a lot of offseason hype, with many mock drafts predicting that he will be a top-10 pick next spring. That list of preseason accolades added another item on Wednesday, as Kaiir Elam was named to the Preseason Second Team All-American list by CBS Sports’ Adam Silverstein.
Elam is listed behind First Teamers Derek Stingley Jr. from LSU and Ahmad Gardner from Cincinnati. He’s listed alongside Alabama‘s Josh Jobe on the second team.
Coming off a season in which he totaled 13 pass breakups (tied for fourth-best in the country) and two interceptions, Elam is expected to be the anchor of a Florida defense that may otherwise struggle once again. But if he can lock down his side of the field, it would go a long way toward UF’s secondary improving in 2021.
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