Gators' Ron English Talks Young Safeties, 'We Did a Nice Job of Evaluation'

While every season the Gators aim to better its roster in order to field young and fresh talent throughout the depth chart, one position group has become a major focus point over the past two draft classes while the team is set to lose three of its seniors following this season.

Each of Shawn Davis, Brad Stewart Jr. and Donovan Stiner are potentially entering their final seasons at Florida, barring a change of heart to use the extra year of eligibility allowed by the NCAA this season due to the coronavirus pandemic. As such, the team has sought out plenty of other talented players at the prep level in order to adjust accordingly.

Another player the Gators are focused on this season is defensive back Trey Dean, who is converting to safety this season and is set to play a major role on defense. Dean, a junior, has typically played boundary cornerback and some STAR for the Gators throughout his three seasons, projects as a safety more than not.

While Dean is one player who has impressed safeties coach Ron English thus far during the fall, the young safeties, Rashad Torrence and Mordecai McDaniel, have also impressed, even as freshmen. Torrence joined the Gators early in January and accomplished much off of the field, getting a 4.0 during his first semester of college.

"He’s probably the furthest along in the sense that he’s been around the longest," English said of Torrence last week via Zoom. "He just flashes; he makes plays. We certainly didn’t miss on him. He’s a really good football player. He’s mature, he’s smart, he’s conscientious, he’s everything you would want. I think our evaluation was right-on there."

With McDaniel, English says he's seen a more athletic player than he might have expected, a big player who is explosive, much more so than what the team saw from the numbers presented to them prior to bringing him in as a recruit, "he’ll hit you, he’ll hit you," English added.

Another player adjacent to English's wheelhouse is freshman cornerback Tre'Vez Johnson. Johnson is currently playing the STAR position at Florida, a position that is probably the most complex of any on the team's defense due to how many roles a player would have.

"I know you have heard the stories. We never got him over a 4.45 (40-yard dash) on any clock, any day that we timed him, not only here, but on the road," said English. And he’s got some toughness. So I like the guys and I just feel like we did a nice job of evaluation and we took the right guys.”

As Florida looks to set its eyes on an unprecedented season in the SEC this year, they'll do so with the added benefit of knowing the depth they'll have at one of its key position groups on defense. Having safeties that are not only big, strong, and fast, but also versatile, sets them apart from everyone else, allowing the creativity of Todd Grantham's defense to come to fruition.