A quartet of Florida Gators made Pro Football Focus’ Preseason All-SEC teams earlier this month: edge rusher Princely Umanmielen and cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. earned first-team honors while running back Trevor Etienne and offensive tackle Austin Barber landed on the third team.
Perhaps the most glaring omission on that list is receiver Ricky Pearsall, who figures to be a major piece of Florida’s offense in 2023. The pass-catcher finished the 2022 season with the third-highest offensive rating in the SEC, according to PFF.
Another notable omission is running back Montrell Johnson Jr., who served as Florida’s lead rusher in 2022. While it’s true that Etienne was a freshman that split carries with Johnson, the workload was well distributed and Johnson is likely in his final year of college ball before declaring for the draft.
Umanmielen getting the first-team nod is hardly surprising. He’s taken over the No. 1 jersey and figures to be one of the vocal leaders of the defense both on and off the field.
Marshall’s inclusion might raise a few eyebrows, though. His 65.9 defensive rating was second to Jaydon Hill’s on the team last season and tied for No. 538 among FBS cornerbacks. Still, he’s entering his junior year and looks more physically mature.
Billy Napier brought Marshall to the SEC media days along with Pearsall and Kinglsey Eguakun, so he’s clearly viewed highly by the coaching staff.
Barber rounds out the list as one of the few returning UF offensive linemen. He stepped into the right tackle spot for Michael Tarquin early in the season and found regular playing time even after Tarquin got healthy. If he takes another step forward this season, he could finish the season as an SEC second-teamer or better.
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