Tag: corey collier jr

Billy Napier describes trio of defensive backs as a ‘very versatile group’

Gators fans could see some improvements in the secondary next season thanks to Napier’s positional overhaul.

The Florida secondary will be undergoing an overhaul for the 2023 season. Defensive backs [autotag]Trey Dean III[/autotag], [autotag]Rashad Torrence II[/autotag], [autotag]Donovan McMillon[/autotag] and [autotag]Corey Collier Jr[/autotag]. have all left the program either due to graduation, declaring for the NFL draft or entering the transfer portal.

[autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] and [autotag]Miguel Mitchell[/autotag] are the only returning safeties from the 2022 season. Because of the roster turnover, highly-touted recruits like [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag] will undoubtedly get playing time over the course of the season. But those aren’t the names that Napier singled out.

Head coach Billy Napier believes that [autotag]Jordan Castell[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Thornton[/autotag], and [autotag]Aaron Gates[/autotag] are the early contenders to provide the position depth in 2023. In addition to being the team’s defensive coordinator, [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag] is also tasked with being the safeties coach, working with cornerbacks coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag] to craft the defensive backfield.

Napier praised Castell’s ability to cover receivers in man-to-man or zone coverage, Thornton’s football IQ, and Gates’ competitive nature, noting that he was the lone holdover from the previous staff to become a Florida Gator in 2023. Gates is coming off a torn ACL suffered in his final season of prep football, but the staff maintained their belief in him and brought him in.

Overall, the secondary looks to be at the dawn of a new era. For a long time, Florida fans were unsure about the talent level in the secondary. It seems like this group will be the ones to begin the process of restoring Florida to its “DBU” status, something that hasn’t been able to be said in a long time.

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Third Gator headed to Nebraska via transfer portal

The Florida to Nebraska pipeline is at full strength. A third Gator is headed to the midwest to play under Matt Rhule.

A third Gator is headed to the Midwest to join the Nebraska Cornhuskers via the transfer portal. Linebacker [autotag]Chief Borders[/autotag] announced his commitment to the Huskers on Tuesday and will reunite with defensive back [autotag]Corey Collier Jr.[/autotag] and long snapper [autotag]Marco Ortiz[/autotag].

Borders made his decision after taking a visit to Lincoln. He entered the portal on Dec. 7, so it took less than three weeks for him to find a new home. Borders has three years of eligibility left and should help revitalize the Huskers’ defense under new head coach Matt Rhule.

In two seasons with Florida, Borders recorded just three tackles despite playing in 16 games. He played in 12 games for Florida during the 2022 season but mostly in a special teams role.

Borders was a four-star recruit coming out of high school, according to 247Sports. He was ranked the No. 328 overall player on the 247Sports composite for the class of 2021 and was No. 37 among linebackers. Although he played high school ball in Georgia, Borders’ hometown is Chicago, Illinois, so he’s got some familiarity with life in the Midwest.

Florida’s lost a good amount of depth at both inside and outside linebacker (JACK), but the Gators brought in former Ohio State linebacker [autotag]Teradja Mitchell[/autotag] through the transfer portal and officially signed incoming freshman [autotag]Jaden Robinson[/autotag] on Wednesday.

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Former Gators DB Corey Collier transferring to this Big Ten program

One of Florida’s defensive backs has found a new home through the transfer portal with a Big Ten program.

Defensive back [autotag]Corey Collier Jr[/autotag]. is leaving the Gators football program to join the Nebraska Cornhuskers, according to a post he made on social media Sunday.

Collier played in just four games this season for UF primarily in a special teams role. He logged enough snaps against Eastern Washington to receive a defensive grade from Pro Football Focus of 66.1, a run defense grade of 60.0, a tackling grade of 74.3 and a coverage grade of 66.2. Although it’s a small sample size, these are the numbers we have to work with. Granted, coaches are looking at tape more than they are at data sheets.

After redshirting in 2021, Collier could not do so again in 2022. The good news is he still has three years of eligibility left.

Collier has some connections to the incoming class of players Nebraska has under commitment. Incoming three-star cornerback Dwight Bootle II played at the same high school as Collier, Miami Palmetto, and the two will reunite in Lincoln.

A former four-star recruit and a top-6 safety in the class of 2021, Collier should have no problem finding playing time at Nebraska. Florida has a strong class of incoming defensive backs to replace the flurry of players it’s losing from the unit, so this could be a good move for both sides when all is said and done.

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This Gators redshirt freshman safety enters NCAA transfer portal

Ahead of the opening of the NCAA transfer portal, the redshirt freshman safety made it clear he’s heading out of town.

Ahead of the opening of the NCAA transfer portal on Monday, Florida football redshirt freshman safety [autotag]Corey Collier Jr[/autotag]. announced his intentions to enter the de facto free agency system on Sunday via his personal Twitter account.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 179-pound defensive back out of Miami (Florida) Palmetto came to Gainesville as a four-star recruit ranked No. 6 nationally by the 247Sports composite in 2021. Primarily recruited by quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson and cornerbacks coach Torrian Gray, Collier chose the Gators over the Clemson Tigers, Virginia Cavaliers, Baylor Bears and Florida State Seminoles, among many others.

The young student-athlete offered the following to Gators fans on his personal Twitter account Sunday afternoon.

Collier appeared in six total games during his time with the Orange and Blue, seeing action in two games during his 2021 redshirt season before playing in four games in 2022, appearing mostly on special teams. He recorded one tackle over the course of two years of collegiate football against the Eastern Washington Eagles this fall.

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UGA football in 4-star Corey Collier’s top schools

The Georgia Bulldogs made Miami Palmetto defensive back Corey Collier Jr.’s top schools.

The Georgia Bulldogs made defensive back Corey Collier Jr.’s top schools. Collier Jr. is a four-star safety from Miami, Florida with good size. He plays high school football at Miami Palmetto. He’s not the only Miami Palmetto player receiving SEC recruiting attention. RB Brashard Smith de-committed from the Florida Gators recently.

Collier Jr. is one of the top rated DBs in the class of 2021. He announced his  final top schools via Twitter:

The four-star puts LSU, Georgia, Clemson, Miami, FSU, and Florida in is final six schools. Will UGA be able to vulture another talented player from Miami?

Georgia currently has seven commits in the class of 2021. Georgia’s recruiting in Florida is a part of a recent trend, where Miami, FSU, and Florida have been missing out on many elite in-state recruits. Instead, Georgia, Alabama, and Clemson have been taking a higher percentage of the elite Florida talent.

Can the Bulldogs continue the trend? Collier Jr. took Ohio State, Auburn, Penn State, and Syracuse out of his initial top schools.

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UGA football in four-star Corey Collier Jr.’s top schools

The Georgia Bulldogs made CB Corey Collier Jr.’s top schools. Collier Jr. is a four-star, lengthy corner an is from Miami, Florida.

The Georgia Bulldogs made cornerback Corey Collier Jr.’s top schools. Collier Jr. is a four-star, lengthy corner an is from Miami, Florida. He plays high school football at Miami Palmetto.

Collier Jr. is one of the top rated corners in the class of 2021. He announced his top schools via Twitter:

Georgia currently has a few commits in the class of 2021, but is focusing on the class of 2020. Georgia’s recruiting in Florida is a part of a recent trend, where Miami, FSU, and Florida have been missing out on many elite in-state recruits. Instead, Georgia, Alabama, and Clemson have been taking a higher percentage of the elite Florida talent.

Can the Bulldogs continue the recent trend? Collier Jr. is also considering FSU, Miami, Florida, Ohio State, LSU, Auburn, Penn State, Syracuse, and Clemson.

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