Tag: Jaydon Hill

How will Texas A&M’s secondary cover Missouri WR Luther Burden?

Should Texas A&M CBs BJ Mayes or Jaydon Hill cover Missouri WR Luther Burden?

In less than 24 hours, Texas A&M (4-1, 2-0 SEC) will host the 9th-ranked Missouri Tigers in a critical Week 6 matchup with plenty of postseason implications for both programs as the midpoint of the 2024 season nears.

Coming off a bye week, the Tigers are healthy and ready to enter what could be a density-packed Kyle Field for an early kickoff and their first road trip of the year. On the other side, Texas A&M’s 21-17 win over Arkansas featured plenty of progress from the defense, especially junior defensive end Nic Scourton, who notched two sacks and four tackles for loss.

While A&M’s pass rush will look to pressure Tiger’s QB Brady Cook early and often, it’s the secondary that will have its hands full against Missouri star wide receiver Luther Burden, who will likely line up in the slot for most of the game. Here’s what head coach Mike Elko had to say about handling the star receiver earlier this week:

“It’s really hard to keep the ball out of his hands. We have to limit his touches as best we can and limit the explosive plays as best we can.”

With senior Texas A&M cornerback Tyreek Chappell lost for the season, former Florida CB Jaydon Hill has stepped in. He thrives as a blitzer but has struggled in man coverage. Standing at 5-11 and over 200 pounds, Burden is nearly unstoppable in the open field, so neutralizing him at the LOS is the best way to slow down his production.

While Hill will likely start in the slot due to his size, senior cornerback BJ Mayes is another option to consider due to his size, length, and previous success in man coverage, especially with ascending junior corner Will Lee starting on the outside.

Suppose the coverage game plan is similar to last week. In that case, I expect Hill to take most of the nickel snaps, but if he struggles, I expect Mayes or sophomore Bravion Rogers to step in to counter Burden, possibly.

Texas A&M will host Missouri on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 11:00 a.m. CT. The game will air on ABC and will be available for streaming on ESPN+.

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Notable Pro Football Focus grades after Texas A&M’s 21-17 win over Arkansas

Several Texas A&M players stood out in Saturday’s win over Arkansas

Texas A&M (4-1, 2-0 SEC) currently leads the SEC with a 2-0 conference record after defeating Arkansas 21-17 on Saturday afternoon, as the Aggie defense pressured Razorbacks QB Taylen Green throughout the afternoon.

While Texas A&M’s offense failed to move the ball for most of the game, redshirt freshman quarterback Marcel Reed produced when needed, as he and running back Le’Veon Moss moved the Aggies down the field early in the 4th quarter to take to what would end up being the final lead of the game.

After every game, as we’ve done throughout the season, analyzing the Aggies’ Pro Football Focus grades on offense and defense provides more context into what player excelled outside of what the stats tell us. Here are the more notable Texas A&M player scores after the win.

Offense: 

Junior wide receiver Noah Thomas led the Aggies with six receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown, leading the team with a 79.8 offensive grade in 40 snaps. Running back Le’Veon Moss, who finished the game with 117 rushing yards, including 90 yards in the second half, was the third highest-rated offensive player with a 75.7 overall grade.

Backup running back Amari Daniels was average on the ground but excelled in pass protection, with an 82.2 pass-blocking mark, which reflects vast improvement in that area.

Becoming a trend this season, starting left tackle Trey Zuhn was lights out once again in 62 snaps, earning a 79.3 overall and a 79.5 pass-blocking grade. Right tackle Reuben Fatheree continued to improve this season while sharing snaps with Dametreous Crownover, finishing with a team-high 83.3 pass-blocking grade.

Defense: 

In a game dominated by the Aggie pass rush, cornerback Will Lee III led the defense with four of the team’s seven pass deflections, earning a 79.5 defensive grade and a team-high 81.9 coverage grade. Along the defensive line, Cashius Howell, who almost had a pick-six in the second half, finished with three tackles and two QB hurries, earning a 78.5 defensive grade and a 71.2 pass rush grade.

While PFF scores may confuse some when comparing on-field production, defensive end Nic Scourton’s two sacks and four tackles for loss didn’t quite reflect the grade, as the junior finished with a 72.1 pass-rush grade and a low 37.1 tacking grade.

However, nickel corner Jaydon Hill, who Arkansas wide receiver Issac TeSlaa burned for a 75-yard touchdown to start the game, was by far the Aggies’ most efficient pass rusher, finishing the highest pass-rush grade (96.1) but struggled in coverage (55.5 coverage grade).

Lastly, quarterback Marcel Reed was average in the pocket, earning a 55.6 passing grade after completing 11/22 for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Saturday’s struggles weren’t surprising, as Reed is 3/17 on passes beyond 20-plus yards and was 0-5 against the Razorbacks.

Reed thrives in the middle of the field, as he is 30/42 for nearly 400 yards and three touchdowns within ten yards of the line of scrimmage.

Texas A&M will host Missouri on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 11:00 a.m. CT. The game will air on ABC and will be available for streaming on ESPN+.

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Florida defensive backs competing for time at STAR position

Florida saw a lot of turnover at the STAR position this offseason, but a group of young defensive backs are competing for reps.

Florida lost both of its top options at STAR from 2023 — [autotag]Jadarrius Perkins[/autotag] left midseason and [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] transferred to Texas A&M in the offseason — but the future is still bright at the position.

Sophomore [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag] is among the favorites to start at the position, given he’s the only scholarship player on the roster with experience there, but redshirt freshman [autotag]Aaron Gates[/autotag] is making a name for himself during training camp.

“Very competitive at the STAR position. He’s (Gates) in the thick of it here,” Florida head coach Billy Napier said Wednesday. “It was great for him to get four games of experience. He played a little bit on special teams. Aaron’s a young player. This is his first shot, his first go-round, and he’s right in the middle. Every day for him is critical.”

The STAR position is one of the most critical pieces of Florida’s defense. It’s a hybrid position, typically played by an extra safety or defensive back in nickel and dime sets.

“That player is involved in a major way with the run fit and the coverage, so you’ve got to be a smart player,” Napier said. “Sharif Denson is also at that position, and there’s a ton of competition.

“Gates, he’s tough. He’s competitive. He comes from a great family. His mom and dad are some favorite people in the entire world, and I think that this is his time. That’s what he came here for. It’s right there in front of him. He and Sharif alike, they’re going to be very important players in that defense this year.”

Tulane transfer DJ Douglas also an option

The final piece of the puzzle here is Tulane transfer [autotag]DJ Douglas[/autotag], who figures to serve as the backup free safety to Jordan Castell but could also see time lined up in the slot. He took over 150 snaps there last year for the Green Wave, according to Pro Football Focus.

With Gates getting some praise from Napier, it sounds like the race is wide open. There are only 20 days until Florida meets Miami in the season opener, though. This position battle could continue into the first few weeks of the season.

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Where The Athletic ranks Florida football among in-state FBS programs

Florida finds itself in the middle of the pack among in-state FBS competition ahead of the 2024 season.

The Sunshine State has long been one of the epicenters of college football but in recent years, the in-state programs have not been quite as impressive as in years past.

Nonetheless, Florida boasts a robust rotation of seven Football Bowl Subdivision schools traditionally headlined by the Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles and Miami Hurricanes. However, the collegiate gridiron landscape is in constant flux and this triumvirate of teams does not have the stranglehold it once held over the rest of the state.

The Athletic’s Manny Navarro took a look at the seven Florida FBS programs and ranked them from best to worst ahead of the 2024 campaign. FSU came out on top, while Miami is right on its tail followed by the UCF Knights.

In fourth lands the Gators, who have posted three-straight losing seasons and missed out on a bowl game last winter for the first time since 2017.

“Billy Napier faces an incredibly tough schedule, and his program is reeling after five consecutive losses to end the 2023 campaign,” Navarro notes.

“The Gators lost eight quality players via the portal: running back [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] (Georgia), left guard [autotag]Richie Leonard IV[/autotag] (Florida State), right guard [autotag]Micah Mazzccua[/autotag] (Nebraska), edge rusher [autotag]Princely Umanmielen[/autotag] (Ole Miss), outside linebacker [autotag]Scooby Williams[/autotag] (Texas A&M), cornerback [autotag]Jalen Kimber[/autotag] (Penn State) and safeties [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] (Texas A&M) and [autotag]Miguel Mitchell[/autotag] (Arkansas).

“Florida, though, did add the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year in defensive lineman [autotag]Joey Slackman[/autotag], a quality veteran safety in [autotag]Asa Turner[/autotag] from Washington and beefed up at receiver with Arizona State’s [autotag]Elijhah Badger[/autotag],” he continued.

“Getting back to a bowl game is going to come down to whether or not the offensive and defensive lines have improved. Right now, it’s fair to be skeptical.”

Navarro lists the passing game and experience in the secondary as the Gators’ strengths while pointing to the run defense and the pass rush coaching as their Achilles heels. He also noted four key games on Florida’s schedule: vs Miami, at the Tennessee Volunteers, vs the Georgia Bulldogs, at the Texas Longhorns, at FSU.

Florida’s 2024 season opener

Florida opens up its 2024 regular-season schedule in the Swamp against the Hurricanes on Aug. 31. Kickoff time is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ABC Sports.

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Breaking: Former Florida CB Jaydon Hill will transfer to Texas A&M

The Aggies gain another cornerback as former Florida CB Jaydon Hill will reportedly transfer to Texas A&M.

Ask, and you shall receive! Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko has been on fire this past week, already landing 14 confirmed transfer portal additions, including two confirmations on Saturday. Just minutes after former Troy offensive tackle Derrick Graham announced his commitment, former Florida veteran cornerback Jaydon Hill followed suit, further adding to the Aggies’ now respectable secondary.

With one season of collegiate eligibility remaining, Hill is coming off his best season yet with the Gators, recording 88 tackles, two interceptions, 15 tackles for loss and two sacks on the season. Coming into the Aggies’ defense, Hill’s 6’0″, 195-pound frame places him as a nickel corner in Elko and new defensive coordinator Jay Bateman’s defense, who served as Florida’s linebackers coach in 2023.

Hill joins former Cal Poly CB Donovan Saunders and former Kansas State standout cornerback Will Lee Jr. in the secondary as incoming sophomore duo Bravion Rodgers and Jayvon Thomas look to improve steadily after struggling in A&M’s Texas Bowl loss to Oklahoma State.

With Hill’s commitment, six defensive backs, including three safeties, fill out the Aggies defensive backfield heading into 2024.

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A trio of transfer portal defenders will join Texas A&M’s visitor list this weekend

Former Florida linebacker Scooby Williams and cornerback Jaydon Hill join cornerbacks Denver Harris and Julian Humphrey to visit Texas A&M this weekend.

Good news regarding Texas A&M’s potential transfer portal additions is on the horizon, as head coach Mike Elko and his new staff are set to host a long list of experienced players looking for a new collegiate destination. As of Tuesday evening, three more defenders will make their way to College Station.

After the surprising news that former LSU and Texas A&M cornerback Denver Harris would be joining the visitors’ list after failing to live up to his lofty recruiting expectations at both SEC programs, it has been confirmed by 247Sports’ Matt Zentiz that two former Florida defenders, linebacker Scooby Williams and cornerback Jaydon Hill will join former Georgia cornerback Julian Humphrey in Aggieland this weekend.

Coincidentally, new Aggies defensive coordinator Jay Bateman was recently the linebackers coach at Florida for the last two seasons and is obviously, as sophomore Scooby Williams is coming off an impressive 2023 season with 52 tackles and a sack, while junior Jaydon Hill recorded 39 tackles and three pass deflections on the year.

Julian Humphrey’s decision to enter the portal is somewhat surprising after initially stating that he would stay at Georgia, as the former Top-100-ranked prospect from the 2023 recruiting class is a Clear Lake, Texas native who revealed to AggiesToday that he will join Williams, Hill, and Harris in College Station, while also planning to visit Texas in the coming weeks.

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Another Florida defensive back hits the transfer portal

After five seasons and 25 starts with the Florida Gators, defensive back Jaydon Hill has decided to test out the transfer portal.

The Florida Gators are losing another starter on defense.

Fifth-year defensive back [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] entered the transfer portal on Friday, according to 247Sports and On3. Hill played in all 12 games for Florida in 2023, starting all but one of those contests. He ended the year with 39 tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks.

After ending the 2022 season at cornerback, Hill moved to the STAR position this year, beating out Jadarrius Perkins for the starting job. Perkins left the team early in the season, and now Hill is gone too.

Hill’s college career started in 2019. He came out of high school asa four-star corner ranked No. 187 overall in the country by 247Sports. The Alabama native picked Florida over Michigan, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas A&M, among others.

Despite tearing his ACL during his senior year of high school, Hill appeared in 10 games as a true freshman for Florida in 2019. He quickly worked out of the reserve role, starting five games during the 2020 season. Hill tore his ACL again during the 2021 preseason, forcing him to miss the entire season and take a medical redshirt.

Along with the obvious challenges of returning from a major knee injury, Hill had to fight for his spot with a new coach in Gainesville. Hill signed to Dan Mullen’s Florida Gators, but he ended up starting more games for Billy Napier.

With one more year of eligibility remaining and a proven track record in the SEC, Hill should have no problem finding a new home at a Power Five program.

Florida has now lost five members of its secondary. In addition to Hill and Perkins, cornerback Jalen Kimber and safety Miguel Mitchell are in the portal. Safety Kamari Wilson has committed to Arizona State.

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2023 Florida Football Position Preview: Safeties/STAR

Florida lost all three starters from the third level over the offseason, but there’s a room full of young talent that is ready to step up.

After looking at every other offensive and defensive player on Florida’s roster, it’s time to wrap things up with the safeties and STAR position players.

Trey Dean and Rashad Torrence held down both starting safety spots for all of 2022, but now two doors have opened for some young talent to step up. At STAR, Jaydon Hill and Jadarrius Perkins look to split duties after Tre’Vez Johnson departed the program.

This group might not be the most experienced, but there is a ton of raw talent ready to be unlocked.

Here’s a look at every safety and STAR on Florida’s 2023 fall roster.

Taking a look at Florida’s depth chart ahead of the Las Vegas Bowl

The Las Vegas Bowl is almost here and Florida is working with a different look roster after a busy start to the transfer season.

Florida’s depth chart for the Las Vegas Bowl looks a whole lot different from the opening-day roster, but that’s expected as players leave for the draft, enter the transfer portal and suffer injuries over the course of the year.

Starting with the offense, Florida is down players at every position but running back. [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag] is making his first start at quarterback with [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] headed to the NFL, and walk-on [autotag]Kyle Engel[/autotag] true will serve as the backup. True freshman [autotag]Max Brown[/autotag] is listed as the third-string option under center.

[autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] are the only available running backs on Saturday, but that duo has the bulk of Florida’s carries over the season so it shouldn’t be a problem.

[autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag] is preparing for the draft, which means [autotag]Xavier Henderson[/autotag] is the new No. 1 out wide for the Gators. True freshman [autotag]Caleb Douglas[/autotag] gets the No. 2 spot (and his second start) with [autotag]Daejon Reynolds[/autotag] in the transfer portal, and [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] is still in the slot. Despite losing some talent from the receivers room, Florida is in an okay spot heading into the bowl game.

At tight end, [autotag]Keon Zipperer[/autotag] is still dealing with an injury, meaning [autotag]Dante Zanders[/autotag] is the starter once again. [autotag]Jonathan Odom[/autotag] was productive as the team’s second tight end towards the end of the season and will get another shot to audition for next year against Oregon State.

Florida’s offensive line features a new face: Redshirt freshman [autotag]Kamryn Waites[/autotag], who will get his first start at right guard with O’Cyrus Torrence headed to the pros. Left tackle [autotag]Richard Gouraige[/autotag] is also going to the NFL, but he could start in the bowl game and is officially listed as an “or” option along with [autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag]. [autotag]Ethan White[/autotag] and [autotag]Kinglsey Eguakun[/autotag] remain at left guard and center, and [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] returns to the right tackle spot. Christian Williams could see an increase in snaps as the primary backup for either guard spot with [autotag]Richie Leonard[/autotag] injured.

Now on to the defense.

Florida’s defensive line looks the same as it was through the final few games of the season: [autotag]Gervon Dexter Sr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Princely Umanimielen[/autotag] at defensive end, [autotag]Desmond Watson [/autotag]at nose tackle and [autotag]Antwaun Powell-Ryland J[/autotag]r. at the JACK linebacker spot. The big change in the front seven comes at [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag]’s linebacker spot which now belongs to [autotag]Derek Wingo[/autotag]. [autotag]Amari Burney[/autotag] is the other starting linebacker, but expect [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag] and [autotag]Scooby Williams[/autotag] to get some work in too.

In the secondary, [autotag]Jason Marshall Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] remain as Florida’s starting cornerbacks, and [autotag]Trey Dean III[/autotag] and [autotag]Rashad Torrence[/autotag] will get another run at their respective safety spots. [autotag]Jadarrius Perkins[/autotag] is stepping in for an injured [autotag]Tre’Vez Johnson[/autotag] at the STAR, but that shouldn’t disrupt the defense too much.

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Florida cornerback Avery Helm headed to transfer portal, per reports

Florida is losing defensive back Avery Helm to the transfer portal. The former four-star talent out of high school signed with the Gators in 2020.

Florida cornerback [autotag]Avery Helm[/autotag] is expected to enter the NCAA transfer portal on Dec. 5, according to a report from Donovan Keiser of Gators Online. Helm took to Twitter to confirm the announcement soon after the news broke.

A class of 2020 signee, Helm broke out in the 2021 season as a redshirt freshman appearing in 11 games for Florida, including nine starts as a defensive back. He finished that year with three pass breakups and 22 tackles, five of which came in the Vanderbilt game.

Helm began 2022 as a starter for the Gators under Billy Napier but saw his role on the team reduced significantly after [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] returned from injury. Moved to the second team in Week 5, Helm’s snap count fell from around 45 per game to just 15 during Week 11. He did not play in the final two weeks of the season for Florida.

A ton of attrition is expected from this team, and Helm is the first domino to fall following the conclusion of the regular season. As things stand, Florida should be alright with the current and incoming crop of defensive backs it has, but Helm was a strong depth piece that clearly wasn’t getting enough playing time to stay in Gainesville.

[autotag]Jason Marshall Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] still have eligibility to return as starters for next year, and true freshman [autotag]Devin Moore[/autotag] impressed before having his season cut short by injury.

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