Tuesday saw Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam earn another preseason accolade, this time being named to the Preseason Coaches All-SEC Team. Elam was also a preseason Secon Team All-American and is widely considered one of the best players on the country.
Now the Gators need to figure out who will play the other cornerback spot across from him.
That was going to be Jaydon Hill, but the junior suffered a torn ACL just days into fall camp, leaving the Gators with one less option.
Fortunately for Florida, they have a lot of depth at that position, even though it may be untested.
"You've got Avery Helm, Jason Marshall, Elijah Blades, Jadarrius Perkins, Pat Moorer, Ethan Pouncey are the ones getting the reps for the most part," Mullen said on Monday. "I might have missed somebody in there that are getting that reps. So, they're doing pretty good, though. You know, they're getting all their reps and getting that opportunity to show what they can go do."
Well, thanks, Coach, that sure was helpful.
With the season just 10 days away the Gators will need to narrow down that list and two players are beginning to stick out.
Avery Helm, a redshirt freshman, is the next man up on the list to replace Hill. Helm played in just one game last year, recording a single tackle in the Cotton Bowl. He was a workout warrior in the offseason, posting a sub 4.4 40-yard dash and a 42" vertical leap when Florida held testing for its underclassmen. Helm's physical attributes are off the charts and now he'll be tested on the field.
"Obviously, Avery Helm who I think is going to be extremely talented. Might just have to accelerate his career to get him on the field," Mullen said.
Then there's the four-star freshman, Jason Marshall, a fan favorite to get on the field early. Marshall enrolled early to get a kick start on his college career and is already impressing the staff.
"He has a great demeanor. He has a tremendous demeanor. His body language is phenomenal. I mean he can get an interception or get can come up short on the play and his demeanor doesn't play at all. He's truly the epitome of going to play the next play. It's fun watching," Wesley McGriff said. "I'm looking forward to watching him quickly, quickly improve his skill set, mindset, because it's very rare you get a player like that."
The Gators also have two veterans in transfers Elijah Blades and Jadarrius Perkins. Both Blades and Perkins have experience playing college ball already. Blades was a late enrollee in Gainesville, missing the first few practices of fall camp, and has some catching up to do.
"He’s got length and he’s got experience. Obviously, he just got here, so he’s a little bit behind and he’s trying to get himself caught up both physically and mentally to help us," Mullen said right after Blades enrolled. "We’ve got a couple of weeks still before we have to play that he has the opportunity to get caught up and go do that.”
Perkins was initially working at STAR for the Gators but has since been moved out to the edge. In 14 games at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Perkins recorded 32 total tackles, one interception, five defended passes, and one fumble recovery. He has great size and length to play outside but hasn't been mention too much by the coaching staff this fall.
Losing Jaydon Hill was a hit for the defensive back room but Florida has the depth to replace him.
