Tag: Princely Umanmielen

2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Defensive Line

One of the biggest question marks heading into the 2022 season for Florida might be the defensive line. There’s not a whole lot of experience to work with but there’s plenty of talent.

There’s less than a week left until Florida kicks off the 2022 college football season, and Gators Wire is breaking down the entire roster before kick-off. After working our way through the offense, it’s time to look at the defensive side of the ball, the unit that struggled significantly more in 2021.

First up is the defensive line, which includes both tackle positions and a strongside defensive end. [autotag]Gervon Dexter[/autotag] Sr. is the outright leader of the group following the departure of veterans such as [autotag]Zach Carter[/autotag] and [autotag]Khris Bogle[/autotag] among others. The position room is relatively young and inexperienced, leaving Dexter as the only player locked into a starting role.

The good news is that those young players should be ready to take a big step forward. It will become evident who can handle the increased workload and who can’t rather quickly, and the depth chart should be much more clear following the first few weeks of action. Still, we have a pretty good idea of what things will look like up front for UF against Utah on Saturday.

Here’s a look at all 12 offensive linemen on the Gators’ 2022 fall football roster. Edge rushers will be included with our breakdown of the outside linebackers on the team.

See also:

2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Quarterbacks

2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Running Backs

2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Wide Receivers

2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Tight Ends

2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Offensive Line

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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Take a look at 247Sports’ Florida football breakout candidates for 2022

Here’s what we think of 247Sports’ 2022 breakout candidates.

It was a disappointing season for Florida football in 2021, but as they say, hope springs eternal. With the Dan Mullen era now in the rearview mirror, Billy Napier and his staff are poised to rebuild a once-proud program and return glory to the Swamp.

Much like how Rome was not proverbially built in a day, rebuilding a top-tier college football program does not happen overnight, but the steps taken so far by the new regime appear to be laser-focused on putting the team in a position to take advantage of every edge it can get. But even with all of the changes taking place, those who remain from the previous regime can still be expected to uphold the glory of the Orange and Blue in the interim.

Among those holdovers are a handful of players who will hopefully keep the team afloat in what looks to be a very challenging debut schedule for Napier and crew. This group of players have either shown signs of brilliance in the past or were well-heralded prep players before their times in Gainesville.

Take a look below at former Gator and 247Sports contributor Brett DioGuardi‘s breakout candidates for 2022 and our take on his choices.

2020 Gators Football Recruiting Profile: Princely Umanmielen

This is a prospect player profile for defensive end Princely Umanmielen of the Florida Gators football recruiting class of 2020.

Name: Princely Umanmielen

Position: Defensive End

Height: 6’4″

Weight: 249 lbs

Hometown: Manor, Tex.

High School: Manor High School

Twitter: @d1princely

247Sports Composite: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rivals.com: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Overview:

A talented strongside defensive end from Manor, Tex., Umanmielen is a four-star recruit and the No. 9 player at his position in the 2020 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite. originally committed to the in-state Texas Longhorns in August of 2019 before decommitting in October. Six days later, Florida entered the picture and offered him.

He took two official visits to UF: one in November and another in January. Though the Gators made a late push for him, many analysts expected his National Signing Day commitment would be given to coach Matt Rhule and the Baylor Bears. But in a somewhat surprising move, he signed his National Letter of Intent with Florida and enrolled on campus in June.

Umanmielen dominated as a senior at Manor High School, totaling 90 tackles (27 for loss) and 10 sacks. At 6-foot-4 and 249 pounds, he has a big frame and the potential to bulk up significantly. An excellent run-stopper, he bears a strong resemblance to UF’s 2019 starter at the strongside position in Jabari Zuniga. However, he has experience playing both inside and outside in high school, and should he build more strength, he could transition to a tackle role.

He’s a solid athlete, running a 5.07 40-yard dash and 4.37 shuttle at The Opening a year ago, though his initial jump could be a bit quicker. He also needs to work on developing more robust pass-rushing skills early in his college career, but he could be primed for playing time early on, as Florida needs to replace a number of starters and key contributors on the defensive line in 2020.

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A Big National Signing Day Could Put Texas Back In Top 10

With a big National Signing Day coming up on February 5th, the Texas Longhorns could jump back into the Top 10 with the 2020 class.

Prior to the updated National Rankings from 247 Sports, the Texas Longhorns were rated as the number one recruiting class in the Big 12 and top 10 in the Nation. Currently the sit 11th nationally and second in the Big 12 conference behind rival Oklahoma.

The team just ahead of them in the rankings, Michigan, is just 0.11 points ahead of them based on the recruiting rankings provided by 247. Signing Alfred Collins, Princely Umanmielen and Ennis Rakestraw Jr would definitely get them into the top 10 and likely overtake the Sooners for best in the Big 12.

Collins would give the Longhorns their second five-star recruit to go along with Bijan Robinson and Princely would be the classes 12th four-star signing. Neither Michigan or Oklahoma have a single five-star recruit in their prospective classes.

Recruiting classes rankings don’t carry much weight into the season without coaches putting them into a position to win but it provides fans and teams bragging rights. Well at least until they take the field in the fall.

This year will likely be the lowest ranked class since Tom Herman stepped onto the Forty Acres but he hasn’t finished outside the top 10. Every class has been third in the nation until the 2020 class.

2020 Four-Star Defensive End Narrows Down His Top Four

Princely Umanmielen of Manor has narrowed down his top four schools. Will the four-star defensive end choose the Texas Longhorns?

The Texas Longhorns will be waiting to hear from a few prospects on February 5th to see who will be joining the rest of the 2020 class in Austin. Along with five-star defensive end Alfred Collins, the other big name that will making his announcement is Princely Umanmielen of Manor, Texas.

The four-star defensive end is considering Texas, Florida, Baylor and Auburn. The past two seasons, Princely has combined for 15.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. That kind of production is sorely needed in Austin as the Longhorns try and rebuild their pass rush.

Should he sign, that would give Texas two defensive ends with the name (Prince)ly.

Two Texas football prospects to watch for on National Signing Day

Texas will be paying close attention to two highly-rated defensive ends on National Signing Day.

Texas could potentially bolster their defensive line on National Signing Day.

New defensive coordinator Chris Ash has been successful in getting two highly-rated defensive ends on campus in Austin recently. Five-star defensive end Alfred Collins and four-star defensive end Princely Umanmielen will be announcing their program of choice on February 5.

The Longhorns currently have the No. 11 recruiting class in the nation for 2020, which would seemingly rise if Texas were to land both of these prospects.

Collins recently earned a five-star rating by 247Sports. The 6-5, 284-pound lineman is undoubtedly Texas’ top remaining target. Currently the No. 32 overall prospect in the nation, the Bastrop Cedar Creek native would be the third-highest graded recruit for the Longhorns in the 2020 class, trailing only running back Bijan Robinson and quarterback Hudson Card.

The three remaining programs in the race to land Collins are Texas, Oklahoma, and Alabama.

Umanmielen originally committed to Texas in August, but reopened his recruitment in October. The 6-4, 249-pound prospect is currently ranked as the No. 241 player nationally and the No. 38 overall prospect in Texas. Umanmielen has completed two visits in Austin over the past two weeks.

Auburn, Florida, Baylor, and Texas are the four finalists that remain in the hunt to land Umanmielen.

Four-star wide receiver Kelvontay Dixon and three-star cornerback Ennis Rakestraw are also considering Texas. Despite replacing both coordinators, the Longhorns have a quality list of solid players in this recruiting class.