Gators defense is halfway there: it 'is going to be special'
ATLANTA -- As one can imagine Florida was asked plenty of questions about how the offense will improve this upcoming seasons, however, the defense is going through its own changes this year.
Dan Mullen brought in Todd Grantham to take over the reigns at defensive coordinator, and Grantham is changing things up - moving Florida from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4.
"Just wait until September 1st. I think this defense fits me pretty well," said defensive end CeCe JEfferson. "I did 3-4 in high school so I’m familiar with standing up and coming off the edge, dropping here and there, making checks here. So it’s not out of my comfort zone, definitely something I’m comfortable with. I enjoy it every day. He’s a character, the way he coaches makes it easy to learn. Myself and all the other D-linemen are just embracing him and just having fun learning.”
“I feel like as a defense, we became more aggressive," added linebacker David Reese. "We got a lot of different systems being a 3-4 now. We are a multi-D team, so we also run a 4-3, but we became more aggressive and we look forward to getting after the quarterback.”
The defense is loaded with some big bodied men up front. A group which includes the 'Bam Bam kids': Zach Carter, Elijah Conliffe, Kyree Campbell and T.J. Slaton.
"That is just a big group of guys," said Jefferson. "They walk around and they just embrace that ‘bam bam’ mentality. They just walk around and destroy stuff. You even got Marlon Dunlap in there now man. So many threats. I’m licking my chops over here. It can be a good one but it’sup to us. We have all the tools. We have everything in place. It’s just up to us.”
"Playing with those guys is like being a kid at a candy shop," said Reese about the talent level on that side of the ball. "You’ve got so much speed, and so many weapons on the field. It’s like you’ve got to put it together and make something happen out of it. I feel like one on one, we can go head to heat with any team in the country.”
Grantham started installing the new defense during spring ball, however, as one would expect, it is a process but a process that is moving in the right direction.
""I feel like we are almost half way there just about," said Reese.
"You have guys that learn at different levels and learn at different speeds," added Jefferson. "I would say everybody is about 65 percent, about 65 percent got it down pat "
"I feel like this camp is a great time to advance and polish our skills... and a good time to make sure we perfect every thing," said Reese.
After last season's failure, the defense is ready to step up and prove that they are in fact better than last year's numbers.
"It’s not about how many times you fall. It’s about how many times you get up," said Jefferson. "This defense, they’re hungry, they’re hungry. I see it every day. I see it in their eyes, the way they work, the way they attack it.
"This defense is going to be special.”