Not too long ago, the Florida football program was among the best in the nation when it comes to producing professional-level talent in the defensive backfield, earning the moniker “DBU”. The Gators have seen a fair share of their former players reach the NFL over the past decade-plus despite some down years on the field.
ESPN’s David Hale recently published his “Position U” rankings in which he surveyed the collegiate football landscape for the best programs for players to flourish. The Orange and Blue earned a spot at most of the positions, but importantly, still have the upper hand when it comes to its claim on DBU landing at No. 4 in the rankings.
Hale has Florida behind the top-ranked LSU Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide and Ohio State Buckeyes, respectively. Here is his assessment of the situation.
The margin between LSU, Alabama and Ohio State remains razor thin, and with two budding stars in Kool-Aid McKinstry and Malachi Moore, the Tide certainly have a shot at dethroning the Tigers in 2024. But keep an eye on Georgia, too. The Bulldogs have moved up one spot in each of the past two years (from ninth in 2021 to seventh this year), have had eight DBs drafted over the past three years and have three of the four preseason All-SEC first-team defensive backs in 2023.
The Gators’ most recent defensive back to earn a first-round selection in the NFL draft was Kaiir Elam, who was taken with the 23rd overall pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2022. Prior to him, CJ Henderson was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 9th pick overall in 2020.
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