Spring Look Back: Florida Gators Safeties
The Florida Gators are less than two months away from the start of fall training camp. Before practices begin, let’s look back on spring ball and what we learned. Today, we conclude our annual spring positional recaps by looking at the safeties.
Florida Spring Look Back series: QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | EDGE | LB | CB
WHAT WE LEARNED: Safety now a strength
Florida’s most improved position group is safety. After starting two true freshmen safeties last season, the Gators added three redshirt seniors from the portal and all of them made plays this spring.
Washington transfer Asa Turner has become the leader of the room with his experience and history with new secondary coach Will Harris, whom he started for as a freshman. He will start opposite Jordan Castell, who led the team with 60 tackles last season and earned ESPN Freshman All-American honors.
Tulane transfer D.J. Douglas also impressed this spring. The safety room is now competitive, deep and experienced with the addition of Oregon transfer Trikwese Bridges and sophomore Bryce Thornton, who started four games in 2023. The Gators also added Gregory Smith, a crazy long athlete with huge upside.
DC Austin Armstrong coaches STAR, where two second-year players are competing for the starting job. Sophomore Sharif Denson made a pick in the spring game and was a standout in the second scrimmage too. Redshirt freshman Aaron Gates, who switched to nickel this spring, also emerged in camp.
BIGGEST CONCERN: Inexperience at STAR
Florida lost starter Jaydon Hill to Texas A&M after the most productive year of his career at STAR, finishing with career-high 39 tackles in 11 starts. In the spring, UF had a sophomore, a redshirt freshman and a true freshman at the position to replace Hill, who’s now a sixth-year senior with the Aggies.
While the staff is confident in the candidates vying to replace him, Denson and Gates, there’s something to be said for the amount of experience that Hill had as a veteran in the secondary. You can’t replace that, and there will be some growing pains for the Gators regardless of who gets the nod at nickel.
It should be noted that if the youth at STAR — which also includes early enrollee Josiah Davis –becomes an issue, Florida has two redshirt senior safeties in Bridges and Douglas that can move to nickel if needed. Both have the position flexibility to play all three positions in the secondary.
BIGGEST SURPRISE: Aaron Gates’ emergence
Gates generated a lot of offseason buzz after his position change and earned himself more playing time this spring. He played well at STAR and the staff is very high on him and his versatility as a defensive back.
Gates spent time at cornerback and safety as a true freshman. He missed the first half of last season to fully recover from a torn ACL in high school, but he’s healthy now and competing with Denson to start.
Denson appears to have a slight edge over Gates coming out of spring camp. But as Gates settles in at nickel this fall, he should continue to push Denson for reps with the first-team defense.
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