Tag: Jason Marshall Jr

Here’s where Florida football stands in ESPN’s top 25 Future Power Rankings

You’re probably not going to like where ESPN ranks the Gators. We certainly didn’t.

Florida’s football program reached stratospheric heights during the first decade of the 21st century under head coach [autotag]Urban Meyer[/autotag], but since his departure, the team has taken a massive U-turn back into a level of mediocrity not seen since before [autotag]Steve Spurrier[/autotag]’s tenure. Exacerbating the issue is the coaching carousel that the Orange and Blue experienced in recent years, having burned through three new skippers before bringing on [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] to right the ship.

There is little question that the new administration has a steep hill to climb to get the Gators back to their previous level of success. Even though [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag]’s tenure saw three straight New Year’s Six bowl game appearances, it still came to a tumultuous close as the program imploded upon itself due to neglect, leaving things in shambles for the next coach to clean up.

With that in mind, ESPN senior writer Adam Rittenberg recently published his college football’s top 25 future power rankings and where he placed Florida may rustle a few jimmies among the Gator Nation. Take a look at his entry below.

22. Florida Gators
2022 Future QB ranking: Not ranked
2022 Future offense ranking: Not ranked
2022 Future defense ranking: 21
2021 Future team ranking: 8

Scouting the Gators: Florida is the type of program that could surge in these rankings as soon as 2023. There’s always talent in Gainesville, and coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] looks like a smart hire for a program that hasn’t made the CFP and last won the SEC in 2008, the Gators’ most recent national championship. But an unexpected transition — no one pegged [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] to be fired at this time last year — could lead to a down year or two, especially in the improving SEC East Division. The biggest immediate question is the offense and whether dual-threat quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] will provide a consistent spark. Richardson must show greater accuracy and fewer mistakes in the pass game, but he has sophomore eligibility and room to grow under Napier.

Florida also received some QB insurance in Ohio State transfer [autotag]Jack Miller[/autotag]. Running back could become a multiyear strength. [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] followed Napier from Louisiana to Florida after a 12-touchdown season as a freshman in 2021. Johnson leads a sophomore group that includes [autotag]Nay’Quan Wright [/autotag]and [autotag]Demarkcus Bowman[/autotag]. Florida also added ESPN 300 recruit [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag]. Junior [autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag] leads a young wide receiver group with opportunities to shine. The Gators need sophomores [autotag]Trent Whittemore[/autotag] and [autotag]Xzavier Henderson[/autotag] to stay healthy, or someone else to emerge. They return two veteran tight ends in [autotag]Keon Zipperer[/autotag] and [autotag]Dante Zanders[/autotag] but need options for 2023 and 2024. Offensive line has some concerns, especially depth at tackle, but returns junior center [autotag]Kingsley Eguakun[/autotag] and some other interior pieces. Florida has a 2023 commitment from [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag], ESPN’s top-rated center in the class.

The defense has fewer immediate questions. Florida returns proven players such as safety [autotag]Trey Dean III[/autotag], end [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag]. and tackle [autotag]Gervon Dexter[/autotag]. Both Cox and Dexter could play multiple seasons and lead a line that needs others to emerge this fall, including sophomore end [autotag]Princely Umanmielen[/autotag]. Florida could become a back-to-front defense in Napier’s first few seasons, as the secondary returns Dean and sophomores [autotag]Rashad Torrence II[/autotag] and [autotag]Tre’Vez Johnson[/autotag] at safety, and talented young cornerbacks such as [autotag]Jason Marshall Jr[/autotag]., an ESPN top-50 recruit who appeared in every game as a true freshman. [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag], ESPN’s top-rated safety and No. 18 overall recruit, headlined Napier’s first class. Seniors [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] and [autotag]Amari Burney[/autotag] lead a linebacker group that will look to build long-term depth this season. [autotag]Derek Wingo[/autotag] has sophomore eligibility, and Florida added ESPN 300 linebacker [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag] in the 2022 recruiting class.

Despite just making the top 25 list by a few spots, the future is beginning to look bright again in Gainesville. Napier and Co. have done a great job on the recruiting front so far, and once the new regime has its plans for the future fully implemented, the Swamp should once again be a favorable destination for the best in the business.

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Check out where ESPN thinks Florida’s future defense ranks

Will the new coaching staff lead Florida to an elite defense over the next few years? ESPN like UF’s chances.

If you like way-too-early predictions and projections, ESPN’s latest ranking of future defenses might interest you. Georgia made it clear in 2021 that defense is king, at least for now, and it’s worth taking a look ahead at which teams have the most talent on that side of the ball.

Before we dive into it, let’s take a look at exactly what’s being measured in these defensive rankings. It’s impossible to know exactly what a team is going to look like over the next couple of years, but ESPN has opted to take the current rosters and look as far ahead as 2024 to get the job done. Returning players, incoming transfers and expected NFL departures are all factored into these rankings. Still, those changes can continually affect a program if they come up consistently.

With that being said, ESPN has Florida at a respectable No. 21 on the list after finishing at No. 12 last year. The drop is hardly surprising considering the disaster of a defense the Gators have fielded over the past two years. Let’s not forget that defensive coordinator [autotag]Todd Grantham[/autotag] was the first domino to drop in the collapse of the Mullen regime. [autotag]Kaiir Elam[/autotag] and [autotag]Zachary Carter[/autotag], two key contributors over the last two seasons, are also gone via the NFL draft.

“Florida is one of the tougher teams to project after so many changes, on both its roster and the coaching staff. But the foundation on defense, combined with a promising start to recruiting, vaults the Gators into the rankings for the first time in this year’s FPR series.”

Co-defensive coordinators [autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag] and [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag] have plenty of talent to work with in 2022 and showed promise by nabbing five-star safety [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] among a handful of other blue-chip recruits in a short cycle.

[autotag]Gervon Dexter[/autotag] and [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag]. are the players to look for up front, and “the development of others will significant” as well. [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] leads a young group of linebackers, including freshman [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag], and the secondary has some returning talent in [autotag]Trey Dean[/autotag], [autotag]Rashad Torrence[/autotag] and [autotag]Jason Marshall Jr.[/autotag] [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] is also coming back from an injury that kept him out all of last year.

That leaves Florida sixth in terms of future defenses in the Southeastern Conference. Georgia, Texas A&M and Alabama take up Nos. 2-4 on the list, in that order, after reeling in strong recruiting classes year after year. If [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] can keep up the early success he’s had at Florida bringing in young talent, then Florida should start to close the gap between No. 21 and those three schools in the top five.

At the very least, the goal should be to get above Kentucky (No. 18) and start creeping up on LSU (No. 9). There’s a real feeling that Florida can reclaim the title of DBU over the next few years with former LSU defensive backs coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag] in tow. The recruiting class of 2023 should have a huge impact on the Gators’ future defense ranking.

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Defensive backs coach Corey Raymond looking to restore DBU title at Florida

Corey Raymond’s experience is invaluable at a time when Florida desperately needs to turn things around on defense.

The Florida Gators’ defense has been a bit of a disaster over the past couple of years, but [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] is hoping to turn things around after bringing in experienced support staff to coach that side of the ball. One of the more important names on the new staff is cornerbacks coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag].

After 10 years with LSU, Raymond and the Tigers parted ways as Brian Kelly took over and chose not to retain him on the staff. Napier quickly jumped in and got one of the top position coaches in the country on his staff to start recruiting.

The decision paid off almost immediately as five-star safety [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] decided to sign with Florida over a top 4 of Florida State, Georgia, LSU and Texas A&M.

“First time (in Gators colors) was different for me,” Raymond said to Gators Online. ” I went to college (at LSU), I’m from there, but that blue and orange is looking good on me. I’m in Florida. I recruited the state of Florida. It has a lot of talent. We have a chance to do special things here.”

Raymond produced 14 NFL defensive backs while at LSU, including three first-rounders. He knows what it takes to get the best at the college level ready for the pros, and he’s relentless in his efforts to get them there.

“It’s going to take a little time getting used to me, who I am,” he said. “Because I’m hard to get along with out there on the field. It’s demanding. You play a position that’s an easy place to line up, but there’s a lot of little things you have to do to be good at the position.”

Raymond sees plenty of potential in Florida’s current crop of cornerbacks. [autotag]Jason Marshall Jr[/autotag]. has a chance to develop into an elite corner under Raymond’s guidance, and [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Kimber[/autotag] also have the potential to be great once fully returned from injury.

Florida’s new cornerbacks coach not only has the respect of the players but he’s revered by most everyone on the staff. Napier thinks highly of him as both a coach and a person, and he appreciates Raymond’s veteran presence on the side of the ball he’s less involved with.

Co-defensive coordinators [autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag] and [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag] also appreciate having Raymond on the staff. Toney coaches the safeties on the team, but he’s also tasked with calling all of the Gators’ defensive plays. Having Raymond to help with the defensive backs is about as useful a tool as you could ask for.

“He’s like the Yoda of DB coaching,” Spencer said. “This guy has coached everybody. He talks in that room, just so confident. He has so much experience. He’s been around the league. He’s been multiple places.”

The early returns have been good on Napier’s investment in Raymond, but his legacy at UF will ultimately be determined by how his players perform during the season. If Florida is going to claim the title of “DBU” once again, Raymond will be the reason why.

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Five players that will have the greatest impact on Florida football’s identity in 2021

Despite the fact that not all of these guys are among the most famous or talented the program has to offer, their performances will dictate a lot about this season.

Much has been made of the remodeling Gators football underwent this offseason, and rightly so. The offense was a raging success under the stewardship of draft-eligible players who went pro and the defense was so tragically overmatched that a touch-up is necessary to field a passable team this year.

That being the case, the identity of this Orange and Blue squad is still fluid. A single matchup against a much weaker non-conference opponent is hardly educational about how they’re going to fare in the choppier waters of the SEC.

One of the oddities of football, though, is that because of the intrinsically co-dependent nature of play, the best players aren’t always the most important in defining the identity of a team. To that end, let’s take a look at the players on the 2021 Florida roster who have the potential to radically shift the way this team functions for better. Despite the fact that not all of these guys are among the most famous or talented the program has to offer, their performances will dictate a lot about this season.

Florida’s top recruit looks to make impact as a true freshman

Jason Marshall Jr. is competing for a starting job sooner than expected with Jaydon Hill’s season-ending injury

Florida’s top recruit of 2021, cornerback Jason Marshall Jr., has a chance to start as a true freshman with Jaydon Hill going down for the year.

Marshall was always going to see action as a freshman, but the presumption was that he would be behind Hill and preseason All-American Kaiir Elam. Instead, he’s fighting for a spot to lineup across from Elam on opening day and become the fifth true freshman to start at cornerback in Gators history.

Avery Helm, Elijah Blades, Ethan Pouncey and Jaddarius Perkins look to be Marshall’s main competition for the spot. Gators coach Dan Mullen said that the competitive spirit is ramping up in training camp with the starting spot up for grabs.

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Marshall is every coach’s dream from a teaching standpoint. He listens, observes and doesn’t talk back. Gators secondary coach Wesley McGriff raved about the five-star freshman.

“He’s eager to learn. He’s very, very coachable,” McGriff said, according to Gatorsports. “He’s one of those young men where if myself or Coach Jules tell him something, he’s going to go out and try to execute it. So you better tell him right because he’s going to go out and try to do everything that you ask him to do.”

The other aspect of Marshall’s game that stands out is his ability to move on to the next play after any outcome. Corners get beat from time to time, and the best don’t give up after a bad play.

“He has a tremendous demeanor. His body language is phenomenal,” McGriff said. “I mean, he can get an interception or can come up short on the play, and his demeanor doesn’t change at all. He’s truly the epitome of going to play the next play.

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Pair of Florida players named to ESPN’s top newcomers list

Demarkcus Bowman and Jason Marshall Jr. could both be immediate impact players for Florida in 2021.

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Florida enters the 2021 season with a lot of talent to replace, especially on the offensive side of the ball. The Gators lost starting quarterback Kyle Trask and his top three receivers, and the offense could look a lot different with Emory Jones under center in 2021.

The recruiting may be lagging behind a bit for UF, but coach Dan Mullen has made good use of the transfer portal to fill roster holes during his time in Gainesville. One of the players he brought in this year, former Clemson running back Demarkcus Bowman, ranks 14th on ESPN’s list of the top newcomers in college football.

Bowman, who signed with the Tigers as the No. 23 prospect overall in the 2020 class, entered the transfer portal in October, so he didn’t have much time to see the field at Clemson. Bowman missed some time with Florida in the spring due to an injury, but should be fully healthy for the season. With Florida replacing Kyle Trask under center, the offense is going to need a consistent run game. Adding Bowman to the running backs room that includes Dameon Pierce, Malik Davis, Nay’Quan Wright and Lorenzo Lingard means Florida has plenty of options in the backfield.

Bowman is certainly a talented player, but it’s hard to judge exactly how much of an impact he will have in 2021 due to how crowded Florida’s backcourt is. If seniority rules, Pierce and Davis would see the most carries, but Wright also impressed as a redshirt freshman in 2020.

Lingard is another former five-star transfer from Miami, but he only saw five carries in 2020 and seems to be falling behind the rest of the group. Bowman will certainly see some action in 2021, but he may not be UF’s feature back. To find a newcomer who could have an immediate impact, you have to go a bit further down the list.

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The Gators could have one of the SEC’s best outside cornerback duos in 2021

The Gators have a pair of stellar outside cornerbacks, and if everything clicks, they could be some of the best in the conference.

What can I possibly write about the Gators’ defense last season that isn’t already common knowledge? The unit was a jumbled mess, with players totally missing assignments and routinely underperforming their physical talents to a considerable degree. Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham is still in place, but there needed to be a scapegoat and several assistants were dismissed. There’s almost nowhere to go but up.

Particularly in the cornerbacks room, there’s reason to believe that the level of production will be better by a wide margin. In fact, their duo of outside cornerbacks could be one of the best pairings in the SEC.

The veteran, Kaiir Elam, is getting a lot of buzz in early mock drafts as a mid-first-round talent. In the recent CBS Sports mock draft by Josh Edwards, he’s picked by the Jets with the 21st overall selection. “Kaiir Elam stands out as a player with the ability to jump into the first-round conversation,” said Edwards about the selection.

Elam is long and strong, making him a natural fit in the draft for a team who likes to run press-man coverage. At the collegiate level, he’s plenty talented enough to shut down to disrupt most teams’ top receiving option. His background as a wide receiver also affords him better ball skills than many man coverage corners who have his level of physicality.

NEXT: This standout freshman has the other corner covered

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Pair of praised Palmetto prep players sign with Florida Gators

Florida Gators football welcomes two blue-chip prospects from Palmetto High School: cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. and safety Corey Collier.

Florida has officially welcomed two blue-chip prospects from Palmetto High School in Miami on Wednesday, as cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. and safety Corey Collier signed their National Letters of Intent to play for the Gators.

Marshall is a five-star recruit and the No. 27 overall player in the nation, according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s the nation’s second-best corner, and at 6-foot-2-inches, 180 pounds, he has prototypical size for the position. He has excellent ball skills and athleticism, as he snagged five interceptions and broke up 15 passes as a junior.

Given Florida’s struggles at the corner position this season and depth question marks behind incumbent starter Kaiir Elam, Marshall has the chance to contribute immediately in a secondary starving for difference-makers.

NEXT: Corey Collier

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2021 Gators Football Recruiting Profile: Jason Marshall Jr.

The highest-rated commit in the Florida Gators’ 2021 class, per the 247Sports Composite, Marshall is the No. 2 cornerback in the cycle.

Name: Jason Marshall, Jr.

Position: Cornerback

Height: 6’2″

Weight: 180 lbs

Hometown: Miami, Fla.

High School: Palmetto High School

Twitter: @jasonjr3_

247Sports Composite: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rivals.com: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Overview:

The highest-rated commit in the Florida Gators’ 2021 class, per the 247Sports Composite, Marshall is the No. 2 cornerback in the cycle, trailing only uncommitted Pinson, Alabama product Ga’Quincy McKinstry, and the No. 7 player in the state.

Primarily recruited by quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson and position coach Torrian Gray, he announced his commitment on August 9, the day before his high school teammate, four-star safety Corey Collier, did the same.

Also a standout basketball player at the prep level, Marshall, listed at 6-foot-2-inches and 180 pounds, drew high praise from 247Sports Miami Hurricanes Insider Andrew Ivins, who compared him to former Florida State Seminole Xavier Rhodes.

Although he has not been asked too much at Miami Palmetto, he has shown the ability to press wide receivers at the line of scrimmage and, while not the fastest athlete in the class, he has more than adequate speed to stay with burners downfield.

Set to participate in the 2021 Under Armour All-America Game at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium on Thursday, January 7, Marshall has all the tools to continue Florida’s tradition of elite defensive back play.

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