Florida football’s roster coming into the 2023 season is chock full of talent on both sides of the ball, regardless of what the prognosticators feel about the team’s chances this fall. The beloved Orange and Blue is worn by some of the best athletes in the collegiate realm, regularly placing players in the NFL draft stretching back longer than almost any other school.
The Gators have a pair of players committed to Billy Napier’s program in the 2024 cycle, according to 247Sports. However, fans do not have to look far to find this season’s physical anomaly in defensive lineman Desmond Watson, who earned a mention in CBS Sports’ “most unique” college football players for the 2023 campaign. Here is what author Will Backus had to offer.
The biggest player in college football had to be on this list. At 6-foot-5 and 439 pounds — up 24 pounds from last season! — Watson is an absolute hoss in the middle of Florida’s defensive line. He eats up space in the run game without much effort and should have no problem imposing his will on offensive linemen, most of whom are at least a mind-bending 100 pounds lighter than him.
During his sophomore season in 2022, the monstrous lineman played in all 13 games. He recorded 25 total tackles (eight solo, 17 assisted), including 1.5 tackles for a loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. His forced/recovered fumble resulted in a 9-yard return against the South Carolina Gamecocks, much to the delight of football fans around the nation.
Watson and his Florida football teammates open their 2023 schedule on the road against the Utah Utes on Thursday, Aug. 31, with a kickoff time of 8 p.m. EDT.
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