Michael Tarquin – Page 3 – Syndication Server

Billy Napier makes big changes to Florida’s depth chart ahead of Week 5

Trey Dean won’t play against Eastern Washington after popping up on the Gators’ injury report this week. Here’s who will start in his place.

The Florida Gators will be without safety [autotag]Trey Dean[/autotag] this week, according to the Week 5 depth chart put out by the team Wednesday evening.

Dean is listed on the injury report as “out” with a lower-body injury, and freshman [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] is in his place with [autotag]Donovan McMillon[/autotag] listed as the “OR” option. Both are expected to play against Eastern Washington, and that’s far from the only change on the depth chart.

[autotag]Justus Boone[/autotag] is listed ahead of [autotag]Princely Umanmielen[/autotag] at the defensive end spot alongside [autotag]Gervon Dexter Sr[/autotag]., and cornerback [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] is in the starting spot opposite of [autotag]Jason Marshall Jr[/autotag]. The defense will certainly look different on Sunday, and the shakeup couldn’t come at a better time.

Safety Trey Dean listed as OUT with a lower body injury on this week’s depth chart and injury report. #Gators pic.twitter.com/q4WAXARe8V

— Brandon Carroll (@itsbcarroll) September 28, 2022

Many fans were critical of Dean’s performance against Tennessee. He blew a few coverages that proved costly, but the truth is that the Volunteers carved up the defense in its entirety.

The front seven already has seen some movement with [autotag]Desmond Watson[/autotag] moving ahead of [autotag]Jalen Lee[/autotag] on the depth chart, and [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] is now firmly back in the starting 11 after dealing with his own lower-body injury over the past few weeks.

[autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag], [autotag]Marco Ortiz[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] remain on the injury report, but Miller is now listed as “questionable,” which means he should return in the next few weeks. Offensive tackle [autotag]David Conner[/autotag] and tight end [autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag] are no longer on listed on the injury report, but they aren’t on the two-deep either.

Keep in mind that Florida’s opponent this week is an FCS school. If there’s a week to rest some guys, this is it. Expect Napier to try to get some game action out of his reserves if the Gators can run the score up early.

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Big changes made to Florida’s depth chart ahead of Week 3 meeting with USF

The Gators will be down two key starters in Week 3 against the USF Bulls, according to the newest depth chart. Here’s who is replacing them.

Florida’s Week 3 depth chart confirmed what many fans had feared since the conclusion of the Kentucky game last weekend: starting linebacker [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] and starting right tackle [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] are out with lower body injuries and no public timetable for a return.

Billy Napier left things at “they won’t play this week” when asked about the severity of the injuries, but he did name their replacements on the weekly depth chart that is provided each Wednesday night before a game.

Redshirt freshman [autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag] is taking over for Tarquin on the right side of the line with [autotag]Kamryn Waites[/autotag] serving as his backup. Waites was previously starting left tackle [autotag]Richard Gouraigae[/autotag]’s backup, but Josh Braun has moved into that role for now.

Braun is best served as a backup guard, but Napier decided that he’s the best option to come in at left tackle with Barber now in a starting role. The new addition to the offensive line rotation is freshman [autotag]Jalen Farmer[/autotag] at right guard.

For Miller, Jeremiah [autotag]Scooby Williams[/autotag] is his listed backup, and the expectation is to see true freshman [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag] get some more snaps as well.

As far as the other injured players go, the same five from last week are still listed with just one exception. Cornerback [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] has been upgraded from “Out” to “Questionable,” which is an encouraging sign for a player that missed all of last year following ACL surgery. Hill could be back in the next few weeks, which would give the Gators another weapon in the secondary to work with.

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Two Gators dealing with injuries following Week 2 loss vs Kentucky

Florida is in danger of losing two key starters after the injury bug reared its ugly head in Week 2.

Two Gators left Saturday’s contest against the Kentucky Wildcats early due to injury. Starting right tackle [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] departed during the second quarter due to a lower leg injury, and sixth-year linebacker [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] returned to the locker room in the second half with the same diagnosis.

Following the game, Billy Napier didn’t have much information to give on the two.

“Ventrell’s a little bit banged up,” Napier said. “We’ll have an update for you next week,” Billy Napier said after the game. “Obviously, two injuries in the game with Ventrell and Mike Tarquin. Both are lower leg injuries, and we’ll give you that information later next week.”

The Gators lost Miller last year after Week 2 to a torn bicep. He didn’t play for the rest of the season, which caused [autotag]Mohamoud Diabate[/autotag] to shift into the starting position. Diabate is in Utah now and it would be either true freshman [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag] or [autotag]Scooby Williams[/autotag] to step up at linebacker if Miller is out for a while.

Tarquin’s backup is [autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag], who is a fine replacement for the first-year starter. The problem is Florida only has so many offensive linemen it trusts, and adding Barber to the starting group means less depth behind him. Kamryn Waites would be the next tackle up, and then the options get pretty slim.

Hopefully, Miller and Tarquin aren’t out for too long, and Florida doesn’t have to worry about it for too long. But Miller’s injury history is concerning and Napier’s non-update isn’t very reassuring.

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2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Offensive Line

Florida’s offensive line was fairly strong in 2021. Returning three starters and adding a preseason AP All-American should help the unit build on what it accomplished last year.

The last group on offense left to go through in Gators Wire’s position-by-position breakdown of the 2022 Florida football roster is the offensive line.

Twenty-two players deep, the offensive line is the biggest group on the list, but [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] has recently said that the team only has around eight players in the position room ready for gameday action. The starting unit seems fairly well-defined as fall camp comes to a close, and there are a few rotational pieces that should lighten the load on those starters.

Guard [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] was the big addition to the room via the transfer portal, and UF is returning three starters to the line. Last year’s unit was quite strong, allowing just 14 sacks, finishing seventh in college football in average sacks allowed per game and finishing 23rd in team rushing yards per game. If the returning players can build on the SEC experience they’ve gained over the years, and Torrence can live up to his preseason All-American status, then Florida should be in for another strong year up front.

Here’s a look at all 22 offensive linemen on the Gators’ 2022 fall football roster.