GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jabari Zuniga was seen as the other defensive end last season. On the other side Jachai Polite produced and CeCe Jefferson led at the buck spot. Both are now gone though, and Zuniga knows it’s his turn to step up.
“I definitely have to be more vocal, more of a vocal leader,” Zuniga said following Florida’s second spring practice. “I’m a lead by example type guy. Talking with and meeting with Coach Savage and Coach Mullen they just want me to be a lot more vocal and command leadership out of everybody.”
The incoming senior defensive end is not much a rah rah guy, but understands he will have break through his comfort zone in order to be the leader he wants to be.
“It’s just a part of growing up, a part of becoming a leader,” Zuniga said. “At the next level you’re going to have to do that. Might as well practice it now.”
As a junior Zuniga was no slouch, tallying 45 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, resulting in 45 yards lost for opponents. He flirted with declaring for the draft and leaving early, but ultimately decided to come back.
“I wanted to graduate,” Zuniga said. “I wanted to get that degree. My mom was really on me about it. That’s the biggest influencer in my life. Whatever she says that’s, gotta listen. That’s my mom.”
Now back in the thick of things as spring practice is set to begin week two, the senior defensive is ready to build on an impressive junior season to finish off his career at Florida.
In year two under head coach Dan Mullen and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham Zuniga and the whole defensive unit is ready to improve on an impressive first season.
“It’s a lot different,” Zuniga said of the difference between last spring and this one. “You know the whole defense. Last year we came out here and we didn’t know nothing. It was, everybody was everywhere there was a lot of confusion. Now everything is on point. We have, basically, eight guys from the defense returning.”
The Gators did lose three starters from last season in Polite, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Vosean Joseph but they were crucial players that generated a lot of production.In order to replace that guys have to take their games to the next level and Zuniga welcomes the challenge.
“Probably technique and effort, really. Just getting it,” Zuniga said when asked what the difference will be for him in making more plays this upcoming season. “As a d-lineman the biggest thing is being relentless — relentless pass rush, it’s probably effort.”
Zuniga doesn’t have to look very far as to how he can take his game to the next level. He saw what his partner on the other end did last season and what he had to put in to do it.
“That motivates me a lot because Jachai is somebody that put in the time and the effort to do that,” Zuniga said. “He worked extra all the time, always getting his game right. Seeing that is definitely motivating.”
Now Zuniga and the Gators want to take their top-30 total defense from a season ago and improve on it. And the biggest thing they are working on currently is making sure they are building their chemistry.
“Right now we just have to worry about communicating so everybody is on the same page,” Zuniga said. “Last year Grantham made a big emphasis that all of our bad plays came off of miscommunication.
“We had probably nine guys running one defense but two guys doing their own thing. We just have to communicate better.”
