2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Outside Linebackers
After going over the defensive linemen on the team in detail, it’s time to talk about Florida’s outside linebackers room heading into 2022.
These are the edge rushers of the team that are expected to cause havoc opposite of Princely Umanmielen at the strongside defensive end spot. Brenton Cox Jr. leads the group and is returning for his third year at Florida.
The Gators are only losing two players at the position, Jeremiah Moon to graduation and Khris Bogle to the transfer portal, and they added two freshmen in the most recent cycle. Florida still has plenty of depth on the edge, though. Cox should be good for 13 starts barring injury, and there’s a trio behind him that can do the job if he does need any rest.
Here’s a look at all eight outside linebackers/JACK/edge rushers on the 2022 Florida Gators football roster.
See also:
2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Quarterbacks
2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Running Backs
2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Wide Receivers
2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Tight Ends
2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Offensive Line
2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Defensive Line
Starter: No. 1 Brenton Cox Jr. (R-Sr.)
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Stats:
Year | GP | SOLO | AST | TOT | TFL-YDS | SACKS-YDS | INT | PD | FF | FR |
2020 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 6-32 | 2-25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2021 | 13 | 26 | 15 | 41 | 14.5-61 | 8.5-46 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
Total | 21 | 38 | 27 | 65 | 20.5-93 | 10.5-71 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
Brenton Cox is the unquestioned starter at outside linebacker for the Gators coming into the season. After transferring from Georgia, sitting out a year and then starting 25 games for Florida at the BUCK, Cox opted to return for one more year to boost his draft stock.
Coming into the season, Cox has a chip on his shoulder. He’s hitting hard in practice and has hopes of breaking the school’s single-season sack record (13). His 8.5 sacks last season came while recovering from injury too, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
Right now, Cox is ranked inside the top 10 at his position among players eligible for the upcoming draft. He’d like to be a first or second-round pick, though, so expect him to be one of the more talked about players on the team if things go right.
His four-sack game against Florida State last season helped end his junior year on a high note. Now it’s time to build on that as a senior.
Backup: No. 52 Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr. (R-So.)
UAA Communications/Isabella Marley
Stats:
Year | GP | SOLO | AST | TOT | TFL-YDS | SACKS-YDS | INT | PD | FF | FR |
2020 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2021 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1.5-12 | 1.5-12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 14 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1.5-12 | 1.5-12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
[autotag]Antwuan Powell[/autotag] is who we’re going with at the backup to start the year, but it could be a group effort given the depth Florida has at this position. He played in 12 games last year and should see similar action behind Cox.
Bogle’s departure helps a lot here. If Bogle were still battling for reps with Cox, Powell wouldn’t see much development with the number of snaps he’d be on the field for. The one thing that could get in the way now is the injury bug. Powell has health with various injuries through spring and fall, but he should be healthy for the season opener. Staying healthy will be key for him.
Reserves: No. 99 Lloyd Summerall III (R-Jr.), No. 4 David Reese (R-Sr.) and No. 14 Chief Borders (R-Fr.)
AP Photo/Ron Jenkins
[autotag]Lloyd Summerall III[/autotag] also appeared in 12 games for Florida last season and recorded five tackles. He could easily wind up as an “OR” next to Powell after adding some muscle over the summer. Based on snaps alone, it’s safe to consider him the third-string option this year, but he should see more action than he has in the past as a niche special teams player.
[autotag]David Reese[/autotag] is entering his fifth year with the Gators and should continue to be an emergency reserve for the team. He did not make an appearance last season after playing in five games during the 2020 campaign. If Powell does deal with injuries, Reese could see the most playing time of his career, though.
[autotag]Chief Borders[/autotag] might be the developmental piece with the brightest future in the group right now, but he’s too far down on this depth chart at the moment to warrant any major hype coming into the season. He’s worked as the fifth man for most of fall camp, so it might be another year until he fully emerges.
Freshmen/Walk-On: Jack Pyburn, No. 34 Andrew Savaiinaea (Fr.) and No. 36 Bryce Capers (Fr.)
UAA Communications/Isabella Marley
[autotag]Jack Pyburn[/autotag] and [autotag]Andrew Savaiinaea[/autotag] are the two freshmen scholarship players on the team. Both are likely to redshirt with several returning players ahead of them on the depth chart, but they have looked solid during the preseason.
Although he’s officially listed as an outside linebacker, Savaiinaea put in work with the defensive linemen during fall camp and it looks like he could wind up being a defensive end for the team instead of a JACK. He’s more likely to get snaps at DE this season, so expect to see him there if at all.
[autotag]Bryce Capers[/autotag], a preferred walk on that joined the team in the summer, is the last name on the depth chart.
[listicle id=89316]
[listicle id=89575]
[listicle id=89822]
[listicle id=90044]
[listicle id=90158]
[listicle id=90345]
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!
