If you like way-too-early predictions and projections, ESPN’s latest ranking of future defenses might interest you. Georgia made it clear in 2021 that defense is king, at least for now, and it’s worth taking a look ahead at which teams have the most talent on that side of the ball.
Before we dive into it, let’s take a look at exactly what’s being measured in these defensive rankings. It’s impossible to know exactly what a team is going to look like over the next couple of years, but ESPN has opted to take the current rosters and look as far ahead as 2024 to get the job done. Returning players, incoming transfers and expected NFL departures are all factored into these rankings. Still, those changes can continually affect a program if they come up consistently.
With that being said, ESPN has Florida at a respectable No. 21 on the list after finishing at No. 12 last year. The drop is hardly surprising considering the disaster of a defense the Gators have fielded over the past two years. Let’s not forget that defensive coordinator Todd Grantham was the first domino to drop in the collapse of the Mullen regime. Kaiir Elam and Zachary Carter, two key contributors over the last two seasons, are also gone via the NFL draft.
“Florida is one of the tougher teams to project after so many changes, on both its roster and the coaching staff. But the foundation on defense, combined with a promising start to recruiting, vaults the Gators into the rankings for the first time in this year’s FPR series.”
Co-defensive coordinators Sean Spencer and Patrick Toney have plenty of talent to work with in 2022 and showed promise by nabbing five-star safety Kamari Wilson among a handful of other blue-chip recruits in a short cycle.
Gervon Dexter and Brenton Cox Jr. are the players to look for up front, and “the development of others will significant” as well. Ventrell Miller leads a young group of linebackers, including freshman Shemar James, and the secondary has some…