Veteran Amari Burney will face some competition in 2021

Burney is set to start the opener this weekend, but linebacker is set to be a competitive spot for the Gators in 2021.

Name: Amari Burney

Number: 2

Position: Linebacker

Class: Senior

Height: 6’2″

Weight: 230 lbs

Hometown: St. Petersburg, Florida

High School: Calvary Christian

Twitter: @amari_burney

2020 statistics:

TOT SOLO SACK FF FR INT PD
52 30 2 0 0 1 2

Overview:

A four-star recruit from St. Petersburg, Burney committed to the Gators in June before his senior year of high school, and he signed with the team during the early signing period in December of 2017. He began his career as a defensive back, and saw reserve action on defense and a lot of time on special teams as a freshman, when he totaled 12 tackles and a sack.

Burney moved to linebacker ahead of his sophomore season, and he played in eight games with three starts, also seeing some action at the STAR linebacker safety hybrid position. He had 37 tackles, a fumble recovery and notched his first career interception.

Burney entered the 2020 season expected to be one of Florida’s key contributors on defense, but he saw his role diminish a bit. He appeared in every game, but started just four of them. Still, he reached a career-high in tackles with 52 and sacks with two.

Entering the 2021 season, Burney is listed as a starter at linebacker alongside Ventrell Miller. But he could be pushed by Mohamoud Diabate, who has been very impressive during his Florida career, and Ty’Ron Hopper, who enters his third season and was a role player last year.

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