“We’re on a Mission”: Inside Florida’s Defensive Mindset in 2025
Florida’s defense was everything, but pretty in the first four weeks of the season. Allowing 27.3 points and 425.5 total yards in those games, the Gators were near the bottom of SEC defenses. But after a much-needed bye week ahead of its in-state matchup against UCF, things started to come together.
From that point forward, the Gators found a way to put it all together. Florida allowed just 13 points per game, ended ranked 66th in total defense, and earned recognition as the SEC’s most improved defense from 2023 to 2024.
But, with the 2025 season a few weeks out, Florida projects to have its best defense yet under Coach Napier. According to Pick Six Previews, Florida returns 62% of its defense from a year ago, 32nd best in the nation. The Gators return high-level production at all three levels of the defense, which could make this unit extremely productive.
Napier made his offseason message clear: he wants to restore Florida as one of the nation’s premier defenses.
“We are on a mission here to play championship-caliber defense. That’s what I would say,” Napier said at his presser on Aug. 18. ” We are on an absolute mission to play defense at a high level….We need to do that to become the type of team that we’re capable of being.”
At Louisiana-Lafayette, his Rajin’ Cajuns finished 19, 31, and 11 in total defense during Napier’s final three seasons (2019-21). But, despite sporadic glimpses, that success has not yet fully translated to the power four level.
Since Napier took over in 2022, Florida has yet to finish with a top 40 defense, including finishes at 78th and 87th.
“It’s one of the things that we have failed to establish here since I’ve been head coach, to be blunt,” Napier said.
Napier believes that this Gators team has the right guys to turn this ship around, and with all the returning and new pieces Florida has this year, it would be hard to argue. Depth might be one of the biggest strengths of this defense, with each skill group able to rotate three to five guys at a time.
Additionally, another strength of this unit is the drive to prove naysayers and doubters wrong about this defense.
“There’s a lot of doubt on us,” redshirt junior defensive tackle Jamari Lyons said on Aug. 13. “I also feel like some people don’t understand what we do have in this building, like only we know what we have in this building. We just got to show it coming up on Saturday. This defense could be very huge and one of the best in the country.”
Lyons teams up with senior defensive tackle Caleb Banks, whom Napier called “one of the best defensive linemen in the country,” at SEC Media Days. The pair will man the middle and work with Florida’s EDGE guys to turn the pressure up on opposing quarterbacks.
Of the 39 sacks recorded last season, 17 of them are from returning players. Senior Tyreak Sapp, who led the team with seven sacks, has emerged as a defensive leader and looks to build on his career season in 2024.
“I mean, he’s an experienced vet. He’s got a lot of experience on his papers. Again, one of the things, he’s just such a high-motor guy. His motor never stops. He’s going to go full throttle no matter what you do. I don’t care if it’s Tuesday or Saturday, he’s going. And really, the biggest impact — he’s a great player,” Defensive coordinator Ron Roberts said on July 29.
At linebacker, sophomore standout Myles Graham will be counted on to make a big year two jump. Graham’s progress through spring and now fall camp has been something Napier and others have taken note of.
“He’s got a unique ability to be poised and have composure in certain settings, but he can go there as a competitor when it’s time,” Napier said on Aug. 18. ” He’s got that physicality, edge, and competitive spirit; there’s no question about that.”
Graham joins a loaded room with Grayson Howard, Aaron Chiles, and Jaden Robinson, making it one of the deepest units in the country. The four combined for six and a half sacks, 142 total tackles last season.
All four are underclassmen, with Howard and Robinson the only players eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft. Chiles joins Graham as a sophomore this year.
Our linebacker room is about as deep as anybody in the country. I think we’re sitting on, whatever, three, four guys that are NFL guys,” Roberts said.
Lastly, the secondary, the unit needing the most improvement from 2024, returns four starters at corner and safety. While they did struggle mightily at giving up explosive passes, Florida forced 14 interceptions in 2024, a huge improvement from three in 2023.
To make sure those numbers keep improving, the secondary set a limit on how many interceptions they need to have.
“Each day in practice, we need three picks,” said junior safety Jordan Castell on Aug. 6. ” We need three or more picks every day.”
And what happens if the team doesn’t meet that benchmark by the end of practice?
“We’re gonna get on that line and run.”
Castell said that the Gators have had to run a few times, but overall, they are finding success, which they hope can translate to this season. The secondary faces some of the nation’s top passing offenses, so it must rely on the championship culture built this offseason to deliver in a big way.
Florida’s first chance to make a statement will be coming up shortly against LIU on Aug. 30.
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