Good Morning Gators: UF lands 6 on Athlon Sports Preseason All-SEC Teams
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A half dozen Gators were named to the Athlon Sports Preseason All-SEC Teams, the publication announced this week.
Florida had five defensive players receive recognition with Brenton Cox Jr. earning second-team honors, Gervon Dexter, Jason Marshall Jr., and Ventrell Miller making the third-team and Rashad Torrence II on the fourth-team.
Offensive lineman O’Cyrus Torrence, a transfer from Louisiana, was named to the second-team offense. Despite receiving first-round projections from draft analysts, quarterback Anthony Richardson was not named to one of Athlon’s Preseason All-SEC teams.
Cox doubled his sack total from 2020 (4.0) last year, leading the Gators with 8.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles-for-loss. He ranked first in the league in TFL among outside linebackers and second in sacks behind Alabama’s Derick Hall.
Dexter started all 13 games in 2021 and recorded 51.0 tackles, first among Gators D-linemen. Outside of Zachary Carter, Dexter was the only defensive lineman with more than two sacks (2.5).
Marshall led the SEC in fewest receiving yards allowed (186) as a true freshman. He made 23 tackles, three pass breakups and his first-career interception against Florida State, one of his seven starts.
Torrence finished third on the team with 87 tackles and led UF with three interceptions, tied for third-most in the SEC. He also had 3.5 TFL, two pass breakups and a forced fumble against No. 1 UGA, picking off two passes in that game.
Miller played in just two games after suffering a season-ending torn biceps tendon at South Florida.
Torrence was a three-year starter for the Ragin’ Cajuns. He was a First Team All-Sun Belt selection and PFF First Team All-American during the 2021 season.
The complete list of the Athlon Sports SEC Preseason Team can be found here.
In other Florida football news
- Billy Napier and the Florida Gators football program welcomed another signee from its 2022 recruiting class to campus on Tuesday.
UF recruiting roundup
- Five-star defensive lineman Peter Woods is scheduled to spend several days at the University of Florida this week for his official visit.
- Florida continues to push all the right buttons with top-50 overall recruit Jordan Hall, one of its top targets along the defensive line.
- Breaking down where the Gators stand with three official visitors who should be prioritized in Gainesville this weekend.
- Instead of taking an unofficial visit, highly-regarded safety Joenel Aguero says the Gators will now receive an official visit instead.
- Florida commit Aaron Gates recently scheduled multiple official visits, including one with a Big Ten school for this weekend.
Gators sports roundup
- Florida redshirt freshman pitcher Blake Purnell was honored as a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper on Wednesday.
Let’s keep talking
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Gators Twitter updates
- Four-star LB Grayson Howard shares a photo and video from his UF trip:
- Five-star DL Peter Woods confirms his excitement about visiting Florida:
