GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gators do not have many holes to to fill on their team from last season, but edge rusher is certainly one.
After Jachai Polite elected to leave early and CeCe Jefferson graduated, head coach Dan Mullen and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham needed a new Buck.
Jeremiah Moon was expected to jump into that role, but after sustaining a leg injury he will unfortunately be unavailable this spring. However, that only means more opportunities for younger guys to step up according to the head coach.
“That’s a guy that we kinda expected to be big in that role and him being out in spring right now, it’s giving opportunity for guys,” Mullen said. “So we’ll see as they continue to pick up, who are guys that are ready to earn reps at that position.”
That’s where Louisville grad-transfer Jonathan Greenard comes in. The former Cardinals edge rusher was recruited by Grantham to Louisville and knows the system he runs.
“I pretty much know what kind of player he was,” Grantham said. “I think if you go back and look statistically, the year he got hurt, he led the ACC in tackles for loss and he was up there in sacks.
“And I knew what kind of person he was. With the fact with Jachai leaving early… you know sometimes when guys leave after the third year and transitioning to a 3-4, you can maybe have a need for those kind of players in your system.
While at Louisville Greenard racked up 70 total tackles, 9.5 sacks, 22.5 tackles for loss and an interception in two years of play with the Cardinals, and transferring to the Gators just seemed almost too good to be true.
“It was really a perfect marriage in a sense of he was a guy that put himself into the transfer portal, knew our system, played a position that we had a need for, and also, we have a lot of young guys at that position right now,” Grantham said.
“And it allows them to see a guy like him work. I think it was a combination of a good fit for him and a good fit for us.”
The Gators are not yet into full pads so it is a bit tough to decipher exactly how Greenard is taking to Florida, but knowing the system has made for a much easier transition, which allows him to utilize his skillset much quicker than most transfers.
“I think he’s done a pretty good job of picking up,” Mullen said. “I think, you know he’s been in the system before so I think he understands the defensive system. He’s got size, athleticism. Probably a little more physical than Polite was at that position with his size and physicality.”
Everything up to this point has been install, conditioning and strength work and so far Greenard is taking well to that.
“Me and him are in the same position,” defensive line transfer from a year ago Adam Shuler said. “He’s getting thrown in with the ones immediately. I didn’t get thrown in immediately but I worked my way in and he’s worked his way in. Just working.”
“Jon is a workhorse. He came in and he hasn’t stopped going. He has a motor and he wants to get better every day.”
Polite and Jefferson gone, Moon out and the inexperience of Andrew Chatfield and Mohamoud Diabate Greenard brings much-needed playing experience to the table and is making the most of his reps.
“He’s a good athlete,” Jabari Zuniga said. “You can tell he’s been around ball a lot. He’s already making a lot of plays.”
