Tag: lj mccray

Next up in Gators Wire’s position preview series is the edge corps.

Billy Napier says that the edge rushers might be the most competitive unit on the team heading into the season and it’s easy to see why. Two veterans are at the top of the depth chart for the ‘F’ position, and there’s depth at jack too.

If those position names are unfamiliar, don’t worry. They aren’t a part of the typical nomenclature football fans are used to seeing. The F, or fox, position is a hybrid of the outside linebacker and defensive end position that requires more versatility than the jack, whose strength is often against the run.

The fox needs to be able to drop back in coverage and act as an extra pass rusher when needed. It’s among the most complex positions in Florida’s defensive scheme, but it’s a sure marker of a modern defense.

Let’s take a look at every edge rusher on Florida’s roster. Check out Gators Wire’s other position previews for the 2024 season below.

• Quarterbacks
• Running Backs
• Receivers
• Tight Ends
• Offensive Line (Tackles)
• Offensive Line (Centers and Guards)
• Defensive Line
• Linebackers

Back From Injury: No. 1 Justus Boone (R-Jr.)

Defensive Stats:

Year	GP	SOLO	AST	TOT	TFL	SACKS	INT	FF	FR
2021	2	1	2	3	1.5	0.5	0	0	0
2022	13	11	13	24	1	1	0	0	0
Total	15	12	15	27	2.5	1.5	0	0	0

There’s good news and bad news here. Two of Florida’s edge rushers are dealing with injuries to start the season, but one is close to making a comeback.

[autotag]Justus Boone[/autotag] tore his ACL a year ago and missed the entire 2023 season. It was a devastating injury to the unit, but now Boone is ready to return and is a clear team leader. We’ll have to wait for the official depth chart to see where Boone lands, but he’s expected to be one of the main faces up front for Florida this year.

In 2022, Boone played 282 snaps for Florida and earned a 73.2 overall defensive grade from Pro Football Focus. His weak point was tackling (57.4), but Boone was the best coverage guy in the position room that year. If healthy, we could see him fit into the starting fox spot and Tyreak Sapp moves back to a true defensive end role.

“Boone has been one of the best leaders that we had,” Napier said. “Losing him last year was a big deal. Not only because of his production on the field and the depth issue there but also just his passion, his ability to affect people.”

Starting ‘F’: No. 94 Tyreak Sapp (R-Jr.)

Defensive Stats:

Year	GP	SOLO	AST	TOT	TFL	SACKS	INT	FF	FR
2022	13	8	12	20	0.5	0	0	0	0
2023	11	12	12	24	4.5-18	2-12	0	2	0
Total	24	20	24	44	5-19	2-12	0	2	0

[autotag]Tyreak Sapp[/autotag] is the other veteran leader of the unit and he’s close friends with Boone. The two are hoping to take the field together this year, but they might do a bit of switching off at the fox position to start the year.

He stepped up big time in the wake of Boone’s injury and is Florida’s best-returning edge rusher statically. Pro Football Fous gave him a 74.4 overall grade on defense, second only to Princely Umanmielen in the position room, and he was an excellent tackler (85.1) without giving up too much in other areas.

“Sapp and Boone were here when we first got here, and both have been awesome,” Napier said. “They have great practice habits. They bring energy. They’ve got personalities that I think rub off on the team and the group. Those two have been in the trenches together for a couple of years now.”

Starting JACK: No. 11 Kelby Collins (So.) or No. 19 TJ Searcy (So.)

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Kelby Collins: 

Year	GP	SOLO	AST	TOT	TFL	SACKS	INT	FF	FR
2023	12	6	17	23	1.5-6	1.5-6	0	1	0

TJ Searcy:

Year	GP	SOLO	AST	TOT	TFL	SACKS	INT	FF	FR
2023	12	9	17	26	3.5-6	0.5-2	0	1	0

Similar to the F, there are two players in contention for the starting jack linebacker role, sophomores [autotag]Kelby Collins[/autotag] and [autotag]TJ Searcy[/autotag]. Both played north of 250 snaps last season and excelled in different roles.

Collins is the better run defender and pass rusher, giving him an overall edge, but Searcy is an elite tackler and might be the best-returning edge in coverage. The platoon spells itself out here, but we could see both on the field together in theory.

The defensive line and edge rooms are a bit fluid, and Collins could even end up playing somewhere on the interior with [autotag]Jamari Lyons[/autotag] out for the year. That gives way to Searcy as the full-time jack and allows some of the younger guys on the depth chart to see the field too.

Backup ‘F’: No. 24 Kamran James (So.) or No. 17 LJ McCray (Fr.)

Kamran James:

Year	GP	SOLO	AST	TOT	TFL	SACKS	INT	FF	FR
2023	12	6	17	23	1.5-6	1.5-6	0	1	0

[autotag]Kamran James[/autotag] appeared in all 12 games for Florida a year ago, but mostly in a special teams role. James should see the field more often in Year 2 as a Gator, though.

James is one of the rare players who can fit in at both fox and jack, so he’s going to be in the second unit in some capacity. Pro Football Focus gave him a 62.5 defensive grade over 77 snaps last season.

Then there’s true freshman [autotag]LJ McCray[/autotag], a former five-star recruit who was considered the defensive crown jewel of Florida’s 2024 recruiting class. Players with that kind of hype are often told they’ll get early playing time, and it’s hard to see McCray not being a factor by mid-October.

It takes some time for the young guys to adjust to the speed of the college game, but McCray is going to get the chance.

Backup JACK: No. 34 George Gumbs Jr. (R-Jr.) and No. 44 Jack Pyburn (Jr.)

George Gumbs Jr:

Year	GP	SOLO	AST	TOT	TFL	SACKS	INT	FF	FR
2021*	4	0	0	0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0
2022*	7	0	0	0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0
2023*	12	15	17	32	6.5-20	3.5-15	0	2	0
Total	23	15	17	32	6.5-20	3.5-15	0	2	0

* = while at Northern Illinois

A former tight-end turned linebacker, [autotag]George Gumbs Jr[/autotag]. is certainly one of the more interesting players in Florida’s edge room. He’s often named among the players expected to see the field regularly this season, but he still needs some development.

Gumbs should line up on the weak side at jack for Florida behind Searcy. James might be ahead of him, too, but he’s still more likely to line up at the fox, at least until McCray gets his feet on the ground.

Jack Pyburn:

Year	GP	SOLO	AST	TOT	TFL	SACKS	INT	FF	FR
2022	8	3	0	3	0-0	0-0	0	0	0
2023	9	6	11	17	1-1	0-0	0	0	0
Total	17	9	11	20	1-1	0-0	0	0	0

[autotag]Jack Pyburn[/autotag] is also working his way back from a torn ACL, suffered in the middle of last season. He’s ready to return to game action, but he’ll be used in as a rotational backup to both positions similar to James. The injury should hold him back a little, but Pyburn made a name for himself as a strong tackler last year over 124 snaps.

Reserves: No. 9 Ja’Markis Weston (R-Sr.) and No. 48 Quincy Ivory (R-Jr.)

Ja’Markis Weston Defense:

Year	GP	SOLO	AST	TOT	TFL	SACKS	INT	FF	FR
2023	5	4	0	4	0-0	0-0	0	0	0

[autotag]Ja’Markis Weston[/autotag] started off as a receiver for Florida before switching over to the defensive side of the ball a year ago. Entering his final year of college ball, Weston is set to be a designated pass rusher for Florida, according to Billy Napier.

The short of it is that Weston will enter the game on obvious passing downs and do what he does best, get after the quarterback. It’s not the most glorified role on the team, but it’s Weston’s path to playing football at the next level. He’s also going to remain in the gunner role on special teams.

“Ja’Markis was considering maybe pursuing the NFL last year,” Napier said. “We had quite a few conversations. I can still remember where I was at when he called me and told me, said, ‘Coach, I’m coming back,’ because I thought it was a big deal for our team.”

Quincy Ivory: 

Year	GP	SOLO	AST	TOT	TFL	SACKS	INT	FF	FR
2023	8	1	0	1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0

Quincy Ivory joined the team last year as a JUCO transfer and saw all of two snaps as an edge rusher. That role should be increased this year, but it’s hard to see Ivory breaking into meaningful snaps anywhere but the special teams unit.

Walk-Ons: No. 36 Bryce Capers (R-So.), No. 45 Layne Swafford (R-Fr.), No. 55 Charles Emanuel III (Fr.), No. 59 Titus Bullard (Fr.) and No. 91 Tyreik Norwood (R-Sr.)

Florida has five non-scholarship edge rushers on its 2024 roster.

The senior-most walk-on is Tyreik Norwood, who is entering his seventh year in college athletics. He played four years with Kentucky Wesleyan before walking on at Florida in the fall of 2022. He’s yet to see the field as a Gator, but that might change this season. Napier likes rewarding loyalty, and FCS Samford in Week 2 could present the right opportunity.

Bryce Capers chose to attend Florida as a preferred walk-on in 2022 and ended up playing in three games as a true freshman while redshirting. He didn’t see the field at all last year, but maybe the pattern is every other year for him.

Redshirt freshman Layne Swafford is the final returning walk-on in the position room. He was another PWO who joined the program in the summer of 2023. No appearances yet, but Swafford still has four years of eligibility to see the field.

The two newcomers in the edge room are Titus Bullard and Charles Emanuel III. Both joined the Gators over the summer, so they are likely just scouting team players for now, but Bullard’s name should sound familiar. He’s the son of WWE Global Ambassador Thaddeus Bullard, better known as Titus O’Neil.

Yes, the younger Bullard was named after his father’s fictional persona on television, and he’s also the nephew of Earnest Graham.