Florida’s defensive line has drummed up some excitement during fall training camp, and The Athletic has them fifth in the Southeastern Conference in a recent analysis of the unit.
The Gators enter the season with a four-player rotation of Zachary Carter, Gervon Dexter, Daquan Newkirk and Antonio Valentino. Carter opted to come back to the team despite being NFL-ready, and Newkirk and Valentino came over through the transfer portal with Power 5 experience. Dexter, who played in all 12 games as a true freshman last season, is looking to make a big leap in his fourth season of organized football.
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The concern lies in the unit’s depth. Beyond those four, the options are mostly young players who still need development to compete with SEC offensive linemen. Carter had to fill in up the middle last year and it hurt his production. That adds more pressure to Valentino and Newkirk to perform but the two have impressed in fall so far.
Staying healthy will be key. Any one of the four men going down with a serious injury may cause the defensive end rotation to fall apart, which The Athletic describes as the “worst-case scenario” for Florida. The “best-case scenario” is if “Carter capitalizes on his all-conference potential, Dexter becomes a monster, and the transfers deliver career-best production.”
Ahead of Florida are Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia and LSU. The Tigers are in a comparable situation to the Gators as they look to bounce back from a rough 2020.
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