Kaiir Elam set to lead Florida’s secondary in 2021

Elam enters his junior season as one of the most experienced players on defense, and he should lead a secondary that struggled in 2020.

Name: Kaiir Elam

Number: 5

Position: Defensive Back

Class: Junior

Height: 6’2″

Weight: 193 lbs

Hometown: Riviera Beach, Florida

High School: Benjamin

Twitter: @Easymoney_Kai

2020 statistics:

TOT SOLO AST FR YDS INT YDS TD PD
39 28 11 1 0 2 0 0 11

Overview:

The nephew of former star Gators safety Matt Elam, Kaiir Elam joined the Florida roster as a four-star recruit from South Florida in the 2019 recruiting class. His first year on campus, he played in all 13 games and started five of them as C.J. Henderson dealt with injuries. He finished with 11 tackles, three picks and four passes defended (the second-most on the team).

Elam entered his sophomore season in 2020 poised to start opposite Marco Wilson, and he did not disappoint. He started all 12 games, and he totaled 39 tackles, two picks and 11 passes defensed. He also recovered his first career fumble in the Cotton Bowl loss to Oklahoma.

He now enters his junior season in 2021 as one of the most experienced players in the secondary and also as one of the Gators’ top draft prospects. Expectations are high for him going into what will likely be his final season in Gainesville, but so far, he’s done nothing but exceed them.

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