HOOVER, Ala. – As far as spicy storylines went heading into Florida's stop here on Monday afternoon for SEC Football Media Days, beyond the ongoing discussions around COVID-19 protocols and NIL (name, image and likeness), a good deal of the chatter about the Gators centered on the absence of quarterback Emory Jones.
The Gators brought a pair of fifth-year defensive players in linebacker Ventrell Miller and defensive tackle Zachary Carter, both key components of a UF defense seeking to tighten its belt and become more of a speed bump for opposing offenses in 2021.
"I don't know if there's two more guys that have really earned the right to be here more than Ventrell and Zach,'' Gators head coach Dan Mullen said shortly after arriving at the event. "I try to bring guys that have the experience and veteran guys that have almost earned the right to be here within the team. I know maybe everybody doesn't always love that."
Two years ago, Mullen brought quarterback Feleipe Franks to Hoover, the first time a Gators quarterback had attended the league's preseason kickoff since Jeff Driskel in 2014, Will Muschamp's final season in charge of the program. A year ago the event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, but fifth-year senior quarterback Kyle Trask would have likely made the trip.
While Trask is now in Tampa Bay as a rookie reserve behind NFL legend Tom Brady, Jones is preparing for the start of preseason camp next month atop the Gators' depth chart. After three seasons of limited playing time, the door is open for the fourth-year junior to prove he is ready to lead the Gators into the next chapter of Mullen's tenure. If he struggles, redshirt freshman Anthony Richardson has the tools to get the job done.
Mullen started with Jones, who has thrown 86 passes and run the ball 92 times in limited snaps, accounting for 1,127 yards of total offense.
"If you look at his stat line, it's not like, 'OK, here's a guy who's never played.' He has a bunch of touchdown passes and touchdown runs," Mullen said. "He's played in big games. Even Anthony at the quarterback position and competing for a spot has a touchdown pass in the bowl game. So I think you have experience there, veteran O-line, running backs obviously have a lot of experience.
"So, I think when you see those things, we'll be a different team this year than we were last year, but I think our guys also understand that we can adapt around the strengths of our players and our system and they don't have to fit into the team we were last year. They have to play to their strengths in order to be successful."
Meanwhile, Carter and Miller are staples for a defense coming off a forgettable 2020. As Florida's offense led the nation in passing (378.6 yards per game) behind Trask and Co., the defense surrendered 30.8 points and 428 yards per game.
The offense covered most of the defense's holes until the final three games when the Gators lost to LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma after an 8-1 start. Florida scored 100 points in the three losses, plenty to win under most circumstances. However, the defense allowed 144, including a 52-46 loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.
That loss is the primary reason Carter opted to return to school for his final season of eligibility.
"I just felt like we really have some unfinished business and I want to be part of that,'' Carter said. "I remember after the SEC Championship Game, I probably stayed on the field about five minutes after, watching the confetti come down and all of that. I will never forget that moment. In that moment, I knew that I would be back. I kind of made a promise to myself, 'I'm going to give everything I got this year.' I'm going to try and help my team the best I can."
With the start of his fourth season on the horizon, Mullen can expect questions similar to those he faced Monday until the defense shows signs of a turnaround. Until then, the best the Gators can do is rehash some of the grisly details.
"Statistically, it was not where we want to be,'' said Mullen. "If you look in different games, we're maybe erratic defensively at times, but there's a lot of different things that go into that. There's some games we played really, really well defensively. There's games where I thought we played well, but statistically weren't great.
"I don't know if there's one thing to say it was."
If the Gators are to improve defensively, Miller and Carter will likely play significant roles in the end. Miller led the team with 88 tackles and Carter had a team-high five sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss.
Their veteran presence mixed with a group of newcomers in the secondary and a collection of transfers that includes defensive lineman Daquan Newkirk (Auburn), defensive lineman Antonio Shelton (Penn State) and former Missouri cornerback Jadarrius Perkins has improved the unit's outlook under fourth-year defensive coordinator Todd Grantham.
"We knew we had some things to work on,'' Carter said Monday. "This spring was great for our defense. We're looking to bounce back."
Besides an influx of new players on defense, Mullen revamped the coaching staff. Gone are former cornerbacks coach Torrian Gray and safeties coach Ron English. In their place, veteran secondary coach Wesley McGriff arrived from Auburn and cornerbacks coach Jules Montinar from USF.
And Mullen retained Christian Robinson, Miller's position coach, after reports surfaced in the offseason that Michigan came calling on the former Georgia Bulldogs player.
It's all talk in late July, but the Gators don't envision a repeat of 2020 when on defense. The sight of Miller and Carter walking around the Wynfrey Hotel on Monday served as a reminder.
"Zach, I don't know if he said it, but definitely coming in with a chip on our shoulder,'' Miller said. "Got something to prove. We've just been working towards that, and like he said, it's going to be whoever is getting in our way, has got to pay."
Jones wasn't around Monday, but he'll get a look at the defense's attitude soon enough.
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SEC Media Day: Gators Defense Takes Turn in Spotlight - Florida Gators
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