By: Nick Marcinko -- March 12, 2025 After losing TJ Searcy and Jack Pyburn to the transfer portal, the Gators have big shoes to fill at the JACK / OLB position. The two combined for 94 tackles, four sacks, eight tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles in 2024. However, the Gators returned George Gumbs at the position, added UMass transfer Kofi Asare and freshman Jayden Woods while moving LJ McCray from F to JACK. Who will step up at the JACK position for Florida? | GatorCountry.com
I really hope we can skip the defensive growing pains we went through early last year, and I hope we start out as good as we were at the end of last year. We need to come out on fire. I like the players we have up front on the defense, but I hope we have the quality experienced depth we will need to make a run at a 10 win season. This will be Ron's second year as our DC and that is great news for our defense indeed. The defensive depth took a sight hit with the losses of Pyburn and Searcy, but I have confidence that Ron can get the next man up to SEC game speed.
To steal a line from Fire Sign Theater, "Nowadays, it's gettin' so's you can't tell the ACs from the DCs"
Gumbs and McCray have been the most athletically gifted, and James is a specimen as well.. I would like to see both of James and McCray at the F for their last year or years as Gators, but for now Sapp owns the position. I don't doubt CBN when he says Jack is stacked.
