Four games into the 2024 season, it’s clear that Florida Football’s defensive line remains a significant weakness. Despite recording three sacks against Mississippi State, the Gators’ defensive line has managed just five sacks for the season and ranks 92nd in sack percentage against FBS opponents.
As fans search for solutions, it seems that some of the answers lie with players who were once part of Florida’s roster.
Roster Turnover
A recurring theme this year has been the success of former Gator players who transferred out in recent seasons. In fact, one could put together a fairly solid starting lineup made up entirely of players who transferred and are still playing college football.
This is especially true for the defensive line. For Gator fans, the standout name is Princely Umanmielen, now at Ole Miss. While some fans downplayed his departure, pointing to moments where his effort seemed lacking, we never bought into that narrative. Umanmielen was one of the few Florida defensive linemen consistently pressuring the quarterback.
Through four games at Ole Miss, Umanmielen has recorded two sacks, five QB hits, and nine hurries. For comparison, the entire Florida team has only six QB hits.
Florida’s defensive line has combined for five sacks this season, with Tyreak Sapp leading the team with two. Meanwhile, former Gator Antwaun Powell-Ryland has between 4 and 6 sacks depending on the source—PFF lists him with 4, ESPN with 5.5, and a Virginia Tech graphic claims 6.
Top 2 & he ain’t 2.
APR leads the FBS with 6.0 sacks on the season 😈#ThisIsHome | @TwaunPowell pic.twitter.com/8G07CEWtPQ
— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) September 24, 2024
Antwaun Powell-Ryland currently leads the nation in sacks and has registered ten quarterback hurries this season. For comparison, no player on Florida’s roster has more than five hurries. And where did Powell-Ryland play before transferring to Virginia Tech?
That’s right—he was a Gator.
The interior defensive line has shown some improvement but still has gaps. Former Gator Chris McClellan, now at Missouri, has 12 “stops” this season—tackles that disrupt the offense’s success rate. His 12 stops are the second most among defensive tackles in the country.
You can see where this is headed…
Just Get His Guys
When Billy Napier arrived at Florida, a common narrative was to give him time to bring in his own players and build the program. At *Hail Florida Hail*, we admittedly bought into that idea at times, especially given how players like Chris McClellan highlighted the rapid decline behind the scenes during the 2021 season.
However, in 2024, the roster is almost entirely composed of Napier’s hand-picked players and coaches. The excuse of needing better talent to strengthen the defensive line no longer holds up when the talent Florida once had is thriving at other programs.
