Miguel Mitchell – Syndication Server

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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Arkansas lands former Florida safety out of transfer portal

Arkansas’ secondary was already a strength. Miguel Mitchell makes it even deeper.

Arkansas’ depth in the secondary increased Friday.

Former Florida safety Miguel Mitchell chose the Razorbacks out of the transfer portal days after visiting Fayetteville. Mitchell started eight games and finished sixth on the team in tackles last year.

Mitchell will likely slide right into Al Walcott’s place in the secondary. Walcott was Arkansas’ third leading tackler last year after transferring to Baylor but had just one season in Fayetteville.

The defensive backfield was already considered a position of strength for the Razorbacks. Jayden Johnson, Snaxx Johnson and Jaylon Braxton will all return as likely starters.

Arkansas’ defense as a whole had its best season since 2014 as the Razorbacks gave up just 249 yards per game, 47th in FBS.

Florida football’s sophomore safety enters NCAA transfer portal

Chalk up another departure from Florida’s football program.

Another member of the 2023 Florida football roster declared entry into the NCAA transfer portal on Wednesday. Sophomore safety [autotag]Miguel Mitchell[/autotag] out of Oxford, Alabama, made his announcement according to On3.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 215-pound defensive back played two full years with the Gators, giving him two more years of eligibility remaining wherever he lands.

Mitchell played in 24 total games with the Orange and Blue, appearing in all 13 games during his true freshman year in 2022 as well as 11 of Florida’s 12 matchups in 2023. The Cotton State product recorded 52 total tackles (27 solo, 25 assisted) — which includes 1.5 tackles for a loss — as well as two passes defended, one interception and one forced fumble.

His career high in tackles came against the Arkansas Razorbacks this fall, against whom he collected six total tackles (two solo, four assisted) along with a pass breakup. Mitchell’s lone collegiate career interception came against the South Carolina Gamecocks two weeks prior, which helped the Gators earn the win that weekend.

The soon-to-be-former Gators safety was a three-star prospect coming out of high school, earning the MVP award in the 2021 Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game.

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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.

Former Michigan safety transferring to Florida

Billy Napier wanted to add another defensive back to the roster through the spring transfer portal, and he’s found his man in former Michigan safety RJ Moten.

The Florida Gators earned a commitment from Michigan transfer safety [autotag]RJ Moten[/autotag] on Tuesday, one day after his official visit.

Moten is a Florida legacy. His dad, Ron Moten Sr., played for the Gators from 1982-1986 and was drafted in the sixth round by the Philadephia Eagles. The junior Moten joins the Orange and Blue with two years of eligibility left.

A former four-star recruit, Moten signed with the Michigan Wolverines in 2020 and appeared in one game on special teams as a freshman before redshirting.

His second year in Ann Arbor was more eventful. Moten played in all 14 of the Wolverines’ games and started five of them. As a junior in 2022, he started 10 games at safety, but eventually lost the job to Makari Page. With younger talent also improving and forcing competition, Moten’s best career move was to hit the transfer portal after spring practices.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Crv1HNJOKkX/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY%3D

Now, Moten will join a safety room that is losing two starters from a season ago in Florida. [autotag]Trey Dean III[/autotag] and [autotag]Rashad Torrence II[/autotag] both signed undrafted free-agent contracts with NFL teams and Moten offers a veteran replacement to either of those two. He could also wind up playing the STAR position, which was left vacant when [autotag]Tre’Vez Johnson[/autotag] transferred out.

Sophomores [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] and [autotag]Miguel Mitchell[/autotag] are expected to play significant roles in Florida’s secondary, and senior [autotag]Jadarrius Perkins[/autotag] might be the only other lock for playing time as an expected starter.

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Billy Napier describes trio of defensive backs as a ‘very versatile group’

Gators fans could see some improvements in the secondary next season thanks to Napier’s positional overhaul.

The Florida secondary will be undergoing an overhaul for the 2023 season. Defensive backs [autotag]Trey Dean III[/autotag], [autotag]Rashad Torrence II[/autotag], [autotag]Donovan McMillon[/autotag] and [autotag]Corey Collier Jr[/autotag]. have all left the program either due to graduation, declaring for the NFL draft or entering the transfer portal.

[autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] and [autotag]Miguel Mitchell[/autotag] are the only returning safeties from the 2022 season. Because of the roster turnover, highly-touted recruits like [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag] will undoubtedly get playing time over the course of the season. But those aren’t the names that Napier singled out.

Head coach Billy Napier believes that [autotag]Jordan Castell[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Thornton[/autotag], and [autotag]Aaron Gates[/autotag] are the early contenders to provide the position depth in 2023. In addition to being the team’s defensive coordinator, [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag] is also tasked with being the safeties coach, working with cornerbacks coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag] to craft the defensive backfield.

Napier praised Castell’s ability to cover receivers in man-to-man or zone coverage, Thornton’s football IQ, and Gates’ competitive nature, noting that he was the lone holdover from the previous staff to become a Florida Gator in 2023. Gates is coming off a torn ACL suffered in his final season of prep football, but the staff maintained their belief in him and brought him in.

Overall, the secondary looks to be at the dawn of a new era. For a long time, Florida fans were unsure about the talent level in the secondary. It seems like this group will be the ones to begin the process of restoring Florida to its “DBU” status, something that hasn’t been able to be said in a long time.

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Florida lacking receiver depth ahead of rivalry game against FSU

The Gators don’t have a ton of depth at the receiver spot this week after injuries have ravaged the position room over the past few weeks.

The Florida Gators are once again dealing with depth issues ahead of their final game of the 2022 regular season against Florida State.

After getting back starting wide receiver [autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag] a week ago for the Vanderbilt game, No. 4 finds himself back on the injury report this week. He’s not the only starting receiver listed as “out” this week, either. The team’s No. 2, [autotag]Xavier Henderson[/autotag], won’t be playing against the Seminoles, and starting slot receiver [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] is “questionable” after missing most of last week’s game.

Pearsall suffered an upper-body injury against the Commodores, but Billy Napier expects him to be ready on Friday. [autotag]Ja’Quavion Fraziars[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Burke[/autotag] and [autotag]Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman[/autotag] won’t be available either.

In place of Shorter and Henderson will be redshirt freshman [autotag]Daejon Reynolds[/autotag] and true freshman [autotag]Caleb Douglas[/autotag]. Reynolds had a breakout game against Vanderbilt last week, leading the team with 165 yards and two touchdowns on eight catches. He dropped just one pass and made up for it two plays later with his second score.

Douglas got the start against South Carolina and hauled in three catches for 53 yards. He’s appeared in six games so far this season and has two touchdowns on the year.

#Gators depth chart vs. #FSU pic.twitter.com/hgdBECs1Bv

— Graham Hall (@GrahamHall_) November 23, 2022

Tight end [autotag]Keon Zipperer[/autotag] is still dealing with a lower-body injury that has him listed as questionable and down to the third-string spot on the depth chart. If he’s fully healthy, Zipperer could get some of his snaps back, but there doesn’t seem to be a ton of optimism that he’ll be ready to go. [autotag]Dante Zanders[/autotag] and [autotag]Jonathan Odom[/autotag] should be Florida’s two main tight ends this week. True freshman [autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag] is also listed on the depth chart for the first time after dealing with an injury for most of the year.

Florida has fewer depth problems on the defensive side of things. Safety [autotag]Rashad Torrence II[/autotag] is listed as the starter this week, but he suffered an injury during the Vanderbilt game that could limit him. Florida’s other starting safety, [autotag]Trey Dean[/autotag], said that the team would be fine if either true freshman, [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] or [autotag]Miguel Mitchell[/autotag], had to step up in place of Torrence.

Finally, linebackers [autotag]Derek Wingo[/autotag] and [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag] are expected to see the field a bit more often with [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] likely to miss the first half of the game after being disqualified for targeting against Vanderbilt.

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2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Safeties

Three returning starters headline the safeties group at Florida in 2022, but there’s a good amount of young talent behind them to be excited about.

Rounding out the defense in Gators Wire’s position-by-position breakdown of the 2022 Florida football roster are the safeties.

Florida’s scheme calls for five defensive backs and utilizes the nickelback position, which they call the STAR. Fortunately, the Gators return starters at all three positions in 2022. [autotag]Trey Dean III[/autotag] and [autotag]Rashad Torrence II[/autotag] are back to man the safety spots, and [autotag]Tre’Vez Johnson[/autotag] is at the STAR.

Behind them are a group of relatively young and inexperienced players, some of which could take a huge step over the season if they see enough snaps. At the top of that list might be [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag], the surprise five-star signing that Billy Napier pulled off during the early signing period last year.

This should be one of the stronger position groups on the team this year given the returning experience in the room. Here is a look at all 13 safeties on the 2022 Florida football fall roster.

2023 Recruiting Profile: 5-star QB Dylan Lonergan still an option for Florida?

Florida hasn’t locked in on one quarterback just yet, but Dylan Lonergan remains an option after naming the Gators in his top five.

Billy Napier did add three-star quarterback [autotag]Max Brown[/autotag] in his transitional 2022 recruiting class, but there’s still pressure on the first-year coach to strike big in the signal-caller department after getting a full year to recruit. One of those options is four-star Brookwood (Georgia) quarterback [autotag]Dylan Lonergan[/autotag].

A standout athlete in two sports, football and baseball, Lonergan has narrowed down his options to just five schools and Florida made the cut. The Gators appear to be the weakest link as of now with official visits scheduled with three other programs in his top five, but that could change if Napier is able to get Lonergan on campus.

Being able to play baseball in college is a big part of his decision, and there’s no guarantee [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] makes it work. [autotag]Miguel Mitchell[/autotag], a defensive back signee in the 2022 class, is expected to play both sports though, so it’s likely an option if the football team wants him that badly.

Still, things have been relatively quiet between Florida and Lonergan since he named them in his top five and the recruitment of [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] might be a sign that the Gators are moving away from him. A decision is expected to come in July, so Florida would need to get him on campus quickly to jump back into the conversation.

Peter Woods’ Recruiting Profile

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This big-name 4-star QB named Florida one of his top 5 programs

Have the Gators finally locked in on a quarterback prospect? Dylan Lonergan has the Gators in his top 5.

After missing out on a couple of elite quarterbacks in the class of 2023, Florida has made four-star [autotag]Dylan Lonergan[/autotag]’s top five.

The Snellville, Georgia, recruit released the list on social media Friday and spoke to On3’s Hayes Fawcett about each program left in his recruitment. Alabama, Ohio State, Stanford and South Carolina are Florida’s competitors.

“Florida is going to get a lot better the next few years and Coach Napier has a great record with QBs,” Lonergan said. “Great baseball program as well.”

Lonergan wants to be a dual-sport athlete in college, and the Gators’ baseball program is one of the nation’s best. Safety [autotag]Miguel Mitchell[/autotag] will be spending time with both teams, so it’s at least something [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] is open to. Lonergan features a fastball in the low 90s with room to pick up speed and a hard slider that’s used as a strikeout pitch.

Down to 5….@Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/sGRkPPcGVD

— Dylan Lonergan (@_dylanlonergan) April 22, 2022

If baseball is what gets him to Florida, so be it. The Gators need to add a quarterback with [autotag]Emory Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Carlos Del Rio-Wilson[/autotag] in the transfer portal, and Lonergan is a top-10 player at the position. Unless [autotag]Arch Manning[/autotag] or [autotag]Dante Moore[/autotag] suddenly names Florida as a top contender, Lonergan or [autotag]Eli Holstein[/autotag] remain the best available options.

He’s the No. 82 overall recruit in the class of 2023 and the No. 9 ranked quarterback, according to the On3 consensus.

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