Two Weeks Until Utah: The Depth Chart
By FRANZ BEARD
With two weeks to go until the Billy Napier Era officially begins with the 2022 season opener with Utah in The Swamp, Florida’s depth chart is starting to shape up. From top to bottom, this roster isn’t nearly as deep as Napier knows it has to be for the Gators to compete for championships on a consistent basis but there is talent and even depth at certain positions.
The three places right now that depth seems to be the biggest concern are quarterback, the offensive line and nose tackle.
At quarterback Anthony Richardson is the clear No. 1, but Jack Miller III hasn’t practiced in a couple of days after hitting his hand on a helmet while making a throw, and Jalen Kitna hasn’t been practicing as he rehabs from an injury. This week, the backups to Richardson have been freshman Max Brown and walk-on Kyle Engel.
Napier said Monday that he’s got eight offensive linemen who are game ready, but he knows it takes 10 to make it through an SEC season. Given the rugged September schedule that includes No. 7 Utah, No. 20 Kentucky and Tennessee on the road, Napier has to have 10 ready to go linemen so these next days will be critical to finalizing the last two sports on the depth chart.
Nose tackle is maybe the biggest concern on the team. Jalen Lee lacks experience and at 300 pounds, he’s far from ideal size for the position. Desmond Watson is monstrous at 415 pounds, but he’s not physically capable of stringing together several consecutive plays, particularly when the Gators face Tennessee where they try to get off a snap every 20 seconds.
The Gators will hold their final scrimmage of August camp on Saturday and next week will be the final practice week. After that they go into game prep, so these next seven days are critical to determine a final depth chart for the Utah game.
Here is a position-by-position breakdown of the Florida roster two weeks out
QB: Anthony Richardson (6-4, 232, SO)
Richardson is the clear No. 1. Lots of pro scouts believe he has the highest ceiling of any quarterback who will be draft eligible in April. He’s a legitimate dual threat with 4.4 speed in the 40 and one of the stronger arms in the country. Ohio State transfer Jack Miller III (6-3, 211) has been the No. 2 since he arrived on campus but he has a banged up hand that has kept him sidelined the last few days. Miller has an accurate arm and very good feet, but lacks experience. Jalen Kitna (6-4, 208, RFR) added 20 pounds in the offseason and made excellent progress, but injuries have kept him from practicing in the last couple of weeks. The plan for Max Brown (6-2, 200, FR) was to redshirt him, but with the injury situation, he could be dressed and ready to go on game day. He’s shown plenty of promise in August practices. Walk-on Kyle Engel (6-1, 190, SO) has been getting a lot of reps due to the injuries. He throws a nice deep ball and seems to have a good command of the offense. Like Max Brown, he may be further up the depth chart than he could have anticipated when camp began in August.
RB: Montrell Johnson Jr. (5-11, 218, SO)
The preseason magazines are going to look a bit silly here because they rate the Florida running backs in the lower third of the Southeastern Conference. The Gators are loaded with four backs who will share the carries, each one with a different skill set that offer Napier a good bit of flexibility in his play calling. Johnson, who followed Napier from Louisiana, is a power back who is a punishing runner between the tackles. He has deceptively good speed. Johnson gained 838 yards (5.17 per carry) and scored a team-leading 12 touchdowns as a true freshman last year at Louisiana. Finally healthy, Lorenzo Lingard (6-0, 209, RJR) has been breaking long runs in practice. He was a 5-star recruit out of high school. Lingard has go the distance speed so he’s a threat to break a long run any time he touches the ball. Remember how Nay’Quan Wright took over that 99-yard touchdown drive against Alabama last year? When he’s healthy, he is difficult to defend because he’s a serious run-catch threat. Last year he ran for 326 yards and a TD while catching 14 passes for 178 yards and another TD. There were thoughts last year of playing him in the slot because he’s so good catching the ball and making people miss after the catch. If Wright can stay healthy he will be a major contributor. Trevor Etienne (5-9, 217, FR), younger brother of the former Clemson All-American, is probably better than anyone expected, a nice combination of power and quickness who has had several highlight reel runs in practice.
Slot: Ricky Pearsall (6-1, 200, JR)
Pearsall is coming back from a bone bruise in his foot, but if he’s healthy and good to go, he will see the football early and often. He is one of the faster receivers on the team, but what sets him apart is his after the catch ability. At Arizona State last year, Pearsall caught 48 passes for 580 yards and four touchdowns. Trent Whittemore (6-3, 206, RSO) will be in the slot as well as outside. A former high school QB, he has a good hands plus a real understanding of finding open space. Last season he caught 19 passes for 210 yards and a TD plus he completed 3-4 of his passes for 41 yards and two TDs. Daejon Reynolds (6-2, 204, RFR) has been looking good here.
WR: Justin Shorter (6-4, 223, RJR)
Some folks might be surprised that Todd McShay rates Shorter as his No. 18 draft-eligible wide receiver. The knock on Shorter has been that he poses no threat to stretch a defense, but he had a highly productive 2021 when he caught 41 passes for 550 yards and three touchdowns. He was open a lot but didn’t get the football. Ja’Markis Weston (6-3, 212, RSO) has size and speed, but he’s never put it all together consistently (6 career catches for 81 yards and a TD). Marcus Burke (6-4, 183, RFR) may have more potential than any receiver on the roster, but it has always been a matter of consistency (2 catches for 73 yards last year, both against South Carolina). If he can eliminate the lack of focus and mistakes, he will be on the field a lot.
WR: Xzavier Henderson (6-3, 195, SO)
Henderson was under-utilized in the previous offense. He has speed enough to run the deeper routes, but spent almost all of 2021 running drags and bubble screens where he caught 26 passes for 277 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His route-running has improved and he’s shown flashes of getting open on deeper routes this August. The backups are Ja’Quavion Fraziars (6-4, 212, SO), who is loaded with potential but hasn’t seen the playing field, much less the football (6 career catches, 40 yards) although he’s a regular on special teams. He caught a couple of touchdown passes last year. Caleb Douglas (6-3, 191, FR) has been impressive and could be a factor as the season progresses. He has excellent speed but has to run precise routes.
TE: Dante Zanders (6-5, 262, RJR)
Zanders came to Florida as a tight end, put on 30 pounds and moved to defensive end. Now he’s slimmed down, moved back to tight end and following a breakout performance in the spring, is running No. 1 in the fall where he’s expected to be a major contributor. Keon Zipperer (6-1, 246, JR) doesn’t have ideal size but he has good hands and can work as a motion tight end or even outside. Nick Elksnis (6-6, 234, RFR) was expected to play a lot last year, but injuries set him back. Noah Keeter (6-6, 230) was a linebacker who grew up in Gainesville, signed with UCLA and then transferred home. When pressed into action at tight end in the spring he played well.
LT: Richard Gouraige (6-5, 308, RJR)
This will be the third year starting for Gouraige (29 starts, 5 at left guard, 24 at left tackle). He is a very good run blocker and last year proved that he is more than capable of handling quick rushers off the edge. Austin Barber (6-6, 312, RFR) has built off a solid spring to emerge as the backup to Gouraige. He’s played well and is among that group of eight that Napier talked about as game-ready. Coming on strong lately is juco transfer Jordan Herman (6-8, 370, SO).
LG: Ethan White (6-4, 331, JR)
White (8 career starts) looks nothing like the 400-pounder who showed up as a freshman. He’s had some injury issues so staying healthy and on the field will be his No. 1 challenge. If he’s healthy he’s a beast in the run game. Richie Leonard IV (6-2, 318, SO) has played well at LG when White missed a few August practices.
C: Kingsley Eguakun (6-3, 301, RSO)
Eguakun started all 13 games at center last year and he’s the starter again this year. He doesn’t have ideal size for the position but he’s smart, experienced and great at reading the defenses and making the line calls. Richie Leonard IV (6-2, 318, SO) played in every game last year and got a start at guard when White was unable to go. He’s built low to the ground and tough to knock around. Jake Slaughter (6-5, 292, RFR) has made better progress than expected. He can back up at center or either guard. He has a future.
RG: O’Cyrus Torrence (6-6, 340, SR)
Todd McShay projects Torrence as the No. 2 guard prospect for the 2023 NFL Draft. Playing for Napier at Louisiana, Torrence made All-Sun Belt Conference twice and started 35 games. He is very capable of playing outside but OL coach Rob Sale likes having a mauler next to center and that’s exactly what Torrence is. Josh Braun (6-6, 351, SO), lost about 20 pounds in the offseason giving him the capability of sliding outside to RT if anything happens to Michael Torrence. Braun has seven career starts and can back up both guard positions.
RT: Michael Tarquin (6-5, 320, RSO)
Tarquin (1 career start) has been the August surprise. He’s healthy and certainly stronger with 20 pounds of added muscle since the spring. Coaches rave about his consistency and work ethic. He can run block, but is he quick enough to handle an edge rusher without help? Either Braun or Kamryn Waites (6-8, 373, RFR) is the backup here. Waites was a basketball player who didn’t start playing football until late in high school so he’s inexperienced but doesn’t lack for talent.
DEFENSE
DE: Princely Umanmielen (6-5, 245, RSO)
Princely (17 tackles, 1.5 sacks in 13 games with 1 start in 2021) had an excellent spring. What he’s done in August has solidified his first team job. He has always been able to rush the passer, but now he’s showing he can hold his own against the run. Tyreak Sapp (6-3, 263, RFR) is playing bigger than his size. He’s strong, physical and quick. He will be in the rotation and he may be used in all three positions along the D-line depending on circumstances. Justus Boone (6-4, 260, RFR) is another very athletic DE who can be used up and down the line. He’s been very good off the edge so far.
NT: Jalen Lee (6-2, 300, SO)
Lee seems to be the winner at nose tackle by default. He played in eight games last year (9 tackles) and got a start in the Gasparilla Bowl. The coaches wish Desmond Watson (6-5, 415, SO) was in the kind of physical condition that would allow him to play for protracted periods of time, but he’s probably 30 pounds away from that. So, meanwhile, Lee is the nose tackle. He’s played hard and he’s played fairly well, but he isn’t that two-gap beast they want over the center. Don’t be surprised to see Sapp lining up over the nose against pass-first teams. He's physical and quick enough to cause problems rushing the passer.
DT: Gervon Dexter (6-6, 312)
This is a contract year for Dexter, who is draft-eligible in April, so big things are expected of him. He seems a natural fit in this scheme. There isn’t a position on the D-line he can’t play so expect to see him plugged in wherever there is a potential matchup advantage. Last season Dexter had 51 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Chris McClellan (6-3, 305, FR) seems pretty advanced for a rookie. He’s going to be in the rotation.
OLB: Brenton Cox Jr. (6-3, 252, RJR)
Brenton Cox is healthy and playing with a huge chip on his shoulder. He’s out to enhance his draft status for one thing, but out to prove that the people who gave him five stars coming out of high school knew what they were talking about. He had 14.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks last year. He thinks this year he breaks Alex Brown’s school record for sacks in a single season (13). His backup is Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr. (6-3, 243, SO) who has had a very good camp. You could expect to see Cox and Powell-Ryland on the field at the same time in obvious passing situations. Lloyd Summerall III (6-5, 231, RSO) has finally added the upper body muscle needed. He's not just a skinny quick guy anymore. He’s going to play.
ILB: Ventrell Miller (6-0, 221, RSR)
Getting Miller to return was one of Napier’s best recruiting jobs. Not only do the Gators get a steady presence in the middle who plugs holes and stuffs the run, they get a traffic cop, who knows where all his players should be and how to get them properly aligned. That is indeed a very big deal. Because he missed last season, Miller feels that he has something to prove so expect a big year from him. He has 164 tackles and 7.5 sacks in his career. Derek Wingo (6-1, 226, SO) has finally found a place he can call home in the middle. He’s very quick to the ball and will be on the field a lot. Diwun Black (6-3, 233, JR) has loads of potential and he’s very solid in coverage. He will be in the rotation.
ILB: Scooby Williams (6-2, 235, RFR)
Williams has built on a solid, consistent spring to emerge as the front runner to start even over veteran Amari Burney (6-2, 228, SR). Both will be on the field a lot as the coaches want fresh bodies on the field at all times. Shemar James (6-1, 230, FR) has picked everything up quickly. He didn’t come to the University of Florida to sit.
Nickel: Tre’Vez Johnson (5-11, 194, SO)
In this scheme, the nickel has to be able to tackle like a linebacker, get after the passer like an edge rusher and cover like a DB. Johnson and Jadarrius Perkins (6-1, 182, JR) will be splitting time here. Both tackle very well and have solid coverage skills. Johnson had 23 tackles and an interception last year while Perkins was in on 25 tackles. Kamar Wilcoxson (6-1, 193, RFR) could be in the regular rotation if he can stay healthy.
CB: Jason Marshall Jr. (6-1, 198, SO)
Marshall got burned early as a true freshman but he made progress every game and was a solid cover guy by season’s end. He had a solid spring and is having an even better August. He had 23 tackles and an interception last year. Devin Moore (6-3, 198, FR) has safety size and cornerback feet. He’s been solid and sometimes spectacular in camp. Jordan Young (6-0, 192, RFR) has added muscle and confidence. He will see the field a lot.
CB: Avery Helm (6-1, 170, SO)
Helm was a surprise last year as a true freshman when he was in on 22 tackles while playing well in coverage. He’s having a good August and his play has kept him slightly ahead of Georgia transfer Jalen Kimber (6-0, 178, RSO). Kimber has played well enough that he will probably split snaps with Helm. When healthy, Jaydon Hill (6-0, 181, RSO) will be in the rotation. He has starter skills.
S: Trey Dean III (6-3, 207, SR)
Since he’s been at Florida, Dean has played all over the secondary and rarely for the same position coach two seasons in a row. He has responded better than expected to co-defensive coordinator Patrick Toney, who coaches the safeties. He has had a very good August after a rather good spring. Dean led the Gators with 91 tackles last season. He has four picks for his career. Talent has never been an issue. He’s finally showing real consistency. Kamari Wilson (6-0, 209, FR) was a signing day coup. He’s a 5-star talent who didn’t come to Florida to sit. He’s earning snaps with every practice.
S: Rashad Torrence II (6-0, 202, SO)
Torrence was Florida’s leading ball hawk (3 interceptions) and second leading tackler last year with 87 stops. Paired with Dean, this is an outstanding combo that ranks with the best tandems in the Southeastern Conference. Backing up Torrence is Donovan McMillon (6-1, 205, SO), one of the hardest hitters on the team (10 tackles last year as a true freshman). Miguel Mitchell (6-1, 203, FR) has made plays in August practices. He’s going to be seeing the field.
SPECIAL TEAMS
P: Jeremy Crashaw (6-4, 198, SO)
Crashaw, who averaged 44.1 yards per punt last year, has been crushing the ball in August. The backups are walk-ons Jack Brady (5-11, 190, RSO) and Tyler Waxman (5-9, 171, RSO).
K: Trey Smack (6-1, 200, FR) or Adam Mihalek (6-1, 193, RFR)
Smack was one of the top prep kickers in the nation last year, but he’s facing stiff competition in August from Adam Mihalek, who hit field goals of 52 and 47 yards in the Orange and Blue Game. The No. 1 may not be decided until the week of the Utah game.
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