Gators coordinator vows defense will bounce back
Unit’s struggles on display in Cotton Bowl loss to Oklahoma
Todd Grantham sees reasons for optimism after UF surrendered most points per game since 1946.
GAINESVILLE — The 2020 season hangs like a stain over defensive coordinator Todd Grantham’s Florida defense.
The veteran coach is ready to move forward and turn the page to 2021. But the epic struggles of the 2020 Gators defense — capped by a 55-20 Cotton Bowl loss to Oklahoma — remain fresh in the collective memory of the Florida fan base and affixed in the school’s record books.
Speaking for the first time since the Dec. 30 bowl game, Grantham insisted the defense will get back on track.
“I want to talk about this year and moving forward,” Grantham said. “The issues and reasons before are really irrelevant now in the sense that it is what it is. We’re going to play good this year.”
On Wednesday, the Gators staged their fourth of 15 spring practices, a year after the coronavirus pandemic canceled them and
shuttered the program for more than four months.
Grantham and his defensive staff lost valuable time to develop players and familiarize themselves with the team’s personnel. When the Gators finally returned to the field in August, the team’s defense was pretty much a step behind most of the season.
The loss of leading tackler David Reese, sack leader Jon Greenard and shutdown cornerback CJ Henderson left Grantham to fill key roles. The Gators offense, meanwhile, could lean on redshirt seniors quarterback Kyle Trask and a bevy of veteran playmakers, including tight end Kyle Pitts.
The lack of leadership, dependable playmakers and experienced depth on defense was exposed early and often, beginning during a 51-35 win at Ole Miss that included seven plays of 30 yards or longer by the Rebels. During a 14-point win a week later against South Carolina, the Gators could not get off the field and allowed a lackluster Gamecocks offense to run 83 plays, which was 30 more snaps than UF.
A defense that ranked among the nation’s top 10 units in 2019 ended the 2020 season allowing an average of 30.8 points, the most by the Gators since record-keeping began in 1946.
Not even two months removed from the 2020 season, Grantham sees plenty of reason for optimism due to a mix of talented, proven veterans and promising youngsters.
All-SEC cornerback Kaiir Elam tied for the conference lead in passes defended, edge rusher Brenton Cox Jr. and lineman Zach Carter tied for sixth in tackles for a loss with 9 ½ and linebacker Ventrell Miller’s team-high 86 stops included 7 ½ for a loss.
“Those guys have played a lot of snaps for us, but once you watch the tape, there are still things those guys can continue to work on to become the players they want to be,” Grantham said. “So if everybody’s moving up and working to improve themselves as a player individually and we take a team approach, then our team is better.”
Grantham said the Gators addressed critical needs with the addition of graduate transfer defensive tackles Daquan Newkirk, an Orlando native who spent last season at Auburn, and Antonio Shelton, a 2020 starter at Penn State.
“The thing we always talk about is being hard to run on,” Grantham said.
The 2020 Gators’ rushing defense ranked 10th in the SEC after being second in 2019. When Newkirk and Shelton’s names appeared in the transfer portal, Grantham said the Gators pounced.
“That was probably the biggest help for us, when you look at our team and you guys say what do we need to do to get better?” Grantham said.
Meanwhile, the Gators’ past two recruiting classes put a premium on the defensive side of the ball.
UF’s four highest-rated recruits in 2021 are defensive players, including five-star cornerback Jason Marshall. Marshall is among a dozen players who enrolled in January and already is standing out this spring, according to his teammates.
Another young defender getting attention is 6-foot-5, 432-pound tackle Desmond Watson.
“He’s obviously a big human,” Grantham said. “The thing that impresses me about him for his size, he’s really a good athlete. He’s really got quick feet [and the] ability to change direction.”
Grantham is quick to note it is early in the process. A defensive turnaround for the Gators will not be an overnight fix.
“With our youth, we’ve got to continue to get better every day,” Grantham said. “I like our attitude. I think that’s got to continue to stack on top of itself to get where we want to get at the end.”