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Published Jan 11, 2017
The Replacements, Pt. 1: Who will fill shoes of departing juniors in 2017?
Landon Watnick  •  1standTenFlorida
Beat Writer

Although the deadline for underclassmen to file paperwork to the league to declare early for the draft is next Monday, the majority of draft-eligible Gators have announced their intentions.

While punter Johnny Townsend is still yet to make an announcement - and defensive backs Duke Dawson and Marcell Harris are staying for their senior seasons - five Gators juniors plan to turn pro: cornerbacks Jalen "Teez" Tabor and Quincy Wilson, defensive tackle Caleb Brantley, offensive tackle David Sharpe, and linebacker Alex Anzalone. In addition, center Cameron Dillard announced that he plans to transfer from the program.

Each of those Gators who plan to leave the team logged at least eight starts in 2016. Today, Inside the Gators takes a closer look at which players are set to fill their shoes next season.

-- Cornerbacks Jalen Tabor and Quincy Wilson: Duke Dawson, Chauncey Gardner and/or others. The cornerback position is going to be a huge question mark this offseason. In Tabor and Wilson, Florida loses one of the top cornerback tandems in the country - and a duo that combined for 25 starts and recorded seven interceptions (including two pick-sixes) and 12 pass breakups in 2016. It's not going to be easy to replace those two, but Florida has a number of options who will compete for reps at cornerback. The only thing is none of them have a track record of success at the college level playing on the outside.

Dawson and Gardner, who respectively played at nickelback and safety down the stretch this season, could be two candidates to jump into starting roles at the outside corner spots. Three 2016 signees - JUCO product Joseph Putu, McArthur Burnett and C.J. McWilliams - as well as Chris Williamson, will also compete for reps this fall at those spots. Florida is set to add Rivals250 corners Elijah Blades and Marco Wilson to the mix if everything holds, and the Gators aren't done yet adding defensive backs in the 2017 cycle. At least one true freshman could end up playing a key role here.

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