Several Florida players crack Pro Football Focus’ top 10 returning players lists
Florida is coming off a down season in 2021, and between the transfer portal and the NFL draft, the team is losing several contributors heading into 2022. With a new coach in the building in Billy Napier, roster attrition was expected and there will likely be more.
But that doesn’t mean it’s a bare cupboard for Napier. Despite UF’s struggles, it returns several key players who could be among the better players in college football. Pro Football Focus identified three players for the Gators who rank in the top 10 of their respective positions heading into the season. Here’s where each of them stands.
O'Cyrus Torrence - No. 2 IOL
Syndication: LafayetteLA
Torrence is following head coach Billy Napier from Louisiana to Florida this spring. He was thrown into the fire as a three-star true freshman in 2019 after an injury to the previous starter and has since become one of the premier players at the position. Torrence has a three-year streak of 80.0-plus pass-blocking grades. He has allowed only 17 pressures across 1,146 pass-blocking snaps in that span — none of which turned into a sack while only one became a quarterback hit. This past season, Torrence grew as a run-blocker by recording an 89.4 grade in that facet — nearly 15 points higher than the year before.
Going from 420 pounds in junior high to one of the best interior linemen in college football, Torrence has had an excellent story thus far. He received some SEC interest late in his high school recruiting process but decided to stick with the Ragin’ Cajuns. After a few years in Louisiana, the 6-foot-5, 332-pound guard will get his chance to show his skill set in the SEC.
Torrence was one of the most coveted transfers this offseason and the opportunity to follow Napier to the big time was too much for him to pass up. He’s expected to be an All-SEC caliber player, which is why PFF ranks him No. 2 among returning interior linemen behind only Notre Dame‘s Jarrett Patterson.
Gervon Dexter - No. 5 IDL
Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images
Dexter is a candidate to take his play to elite status in 2022. The 6-foot-6, 303-pound interior defensive lineman posted a 75.8 pass-rush grade, 24 pressures and a 13.5% pass-rush win rate in 2021. When playing zero-technique or one-technique, Dexter recorded an 84.6 pass-rush grade — the fifth-best in the FBS.
He’s reminiscent of Javon Kinlaw at South Carolina due to his physical gifts. With a little bit of polish to pair with his length and strength, the 2020 five-star recruit can be an All-American in 2022.
A former five-star recruit, Gervin Dexter‘s first two seasons in Gainesville have been a bit quiet despite appearing in 23 games between the two of them. He had 50 tackles with two fumble recoveries in 2021, but he had just 2.5 sacks. His production leaves some to be desired, but he’s shown enough promise to crack the top five of PFF’s defensive tackle rankings.
Jason Marshall Jr. - No. 7 CB
AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
Marshall opened his 2021 true freshman campaign with a couple of rough outings, but he played at an advanced level after those were out of the way. From Week 3 on, the five-star recruit earned a 78.6 coverage grade and allowed only 10 catches on 30 targets and 254 coverage snaps for 93 yards. Marshall didn’t record a penalty in that span, nor did he allow any of his eight deep targets to be caught. He looked excellent in 150 coverage snaps playing press coverage, allowing only two first downs on those reps. While the Gators lose Kaiir Elam, they still look to have one of the top corners in the conference with Marshall.
Another former five-star recruit, Jason Marshall Jr. was thrust into immediate action when projected starter Jaydon Hill went down with a season-ending injury in fall camp. Though he struggled initially, his play improved considerably throughout the season as mentioned above, and he’s one of the most promising players on the roster that Napier will inherit. He also projects as a top-10 corner in 2022, according to PFF.
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