Trey Dean III needs to be the leader of the Florida Gators secondary

The Florida Gators have been known to have an elite defense, but that was not the case in 2020. Florida’s defense let them down each and every week, but in 2021, it seems that the defense could be back. If Florida’s defense is going to get back to their elite ways, senior safety Trey Dean III will need to become the leader for their secondary.

Head coach Dan Mullen clearly saw that the secondary needed some changes, which led to firing both the safety coach and cornerbacks coach following the season. Mullen hired Wesley “Crime Dawg” McGriff as the new safeties coach and Jules Montinar as the new cornerback’s coach.

It is clear Florida feels these two new coaches were upgrades, and they highlighted that on Season 2, Episode 1 of This Is… The Swamp.

Dean was featured on this episode and said, “We didn’t skip a beat, you know, with coach Crime Dawg. It’s all been all love, all technique, just continuing to get better each and every day, no matter if it’s on the field or off the field.”

Florida fans surely like to hear this from Dean, as the secondary needs that leader on the back end. The Gators do have potential top 10 pick Kaiir Elam at cornerback, but Florida needs someone who can lead their secondary and do it all, which Dean will need to do.

Can Trey Dean III be the leader of the secondary?

Dean has played a bunch of positions for the Gators and played a lot of snaps since coming to Florida in 2018. Dean needs to use all of his experience and new coaching to really be a bright spot for the Gators this season.

If Dean can take a jump and reach his full potential this season, the Gators defense will benefit immensely.

The Gators defense has some studs on each level, with Brenton Cox Jr. on the edge, Ventrell Miller at linebacker, Elam at cornerback, but they need someone to really shine at safety. And that needs to be Dean.

Dean has a ton of talent. He is a great athlete, and he flies around the football field. He has all the makings of a player that will make a lot of impact plays this season. Having a leader at safety is huge for a secondary, and Dean needs to fill the leadership role in 2021.