2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Defensive Line

One of the biggest question marks heading into the 2022 season for Florida might be the defensive line. There’s not a whole lot of experience to work with but there’s plenty of talent.

There’s less than a week left until Florida kicks off the 2022 college football season, and Gators Wire is breaking down the entire roster before kick-off. After working our way through the offense, it’s time to look at the defensive side of the ball, the unit that struggled significantly more in 2021.

First up is the defensive line, which includes both tackle positions and a strongside defensive end. [autotag]Gervon Dexter[/autotag] Sr. is the outright leader of the group following the departure of veterans such as [autotag]Zach Carter[/autotag] and [autotag]Khris Bogle[/autotag] among others. The position room is relatively young and inexperienced, leaving Dexter as the only player locked into a starting role.

The good news is that those young players should be ready to take a big step forward. It will become evident who can handle the increased workload and who can’t rather quickly, and the depth chart should be much more clear following the first few weeks of action. Still, we have a pretty good idea of what things will look like up front for UF against Utah on Saturday.

Here’s a look at all 12 offensive linemen on the Gators’ 2022 fall football roster. Edge rushers will be included with our breakdown of the outside linebackers on the team.

See also:

2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Quarterbacks

2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Running Backs

2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Wide Receivers

2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Tight Ends

2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Offensive Line

Florida targeting this Maryland DL in the transfer portal

Florida has reportedly contacted Maryland defensive lineman Darrell Jackson who is currently in the transfer portal.

Florida and head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] needed to find a starter up front to pair with defensive tackle [autotag]Gervon Dexter[/autotag]. But upperclassmen [autotag]Jaelin Humphries[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Lee[/autotag] have struggled to do so. Now the Gators are looking for an answer in the NCAA transfer portal. Swamp247 reported Friday that the new coaching staff is targeting Maryland defensive lineman [autotag]Darrell Jackson[/autotag].

The Gators wasted little time contacting him after he entered his name into the transfer portal on Thursday. During his freshman season in 2021, he recorded 22 total tackles while playing in eight games. He hails from Havana, Florida, and was ranked as a three-star recruit by 247Sports coming out of high school.

Florida could also use another body at the position after redshirt sophomore [autotag]Lamar Goods[/autotag] announced his decision to transfer on Friday.

Napier and the Gators plan to be aggressive in the transfer portal this spring and summer at a plethora of positions after several injuries have caused depth issues at some spots.

“The University of Florida, you can anticipate us being very aggressive in the portal this spring, we need players,” Napier said after the team’s first scrimmage. “Now, I think the approach is going to be acquire as many good players as we can at any position, right? We’re thin and we need help in a lot of different spots.

“I think we have, we’re approaching double-digits if that makes sense. So, you know, I think it’s fortunate that we have that opportunity, right? It’s something I’m very thankful for? Can’t imagine not having that opportunity at this point. So that window of time is coming. We anticipate doing a lot of business and we’re looking forward to it.”

Expect more transfer targets to arise for Florida after the Orange and Blue game next week.

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