The most important players for Florida Gators football in 2022
By Will Thomas
![Florida State Seminoles defensive back Jarques McClellion (15) tries to tackle Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson (15) in the second half. The Florida Gators defeated the Florida State Seminoles 24-21 Saturday November 27, 2021 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. [Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner]2021Flgai 112721 Ufvsfsu Fb](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F92648b23d198c05ff4e9c00f88f2df4c3171e113c86d24f64720ed904b123a14.jpg "Florida State Seminoles defensive back Jarques McClellion (15) tries to tackle Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson (15) in the second half. The Florida Gators defeated the Florida State Seminoles 24-21 Saturday November 27, 2021 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. [Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner]2021Flgai 112721 Ufvsfsu Fb")
Monster in the trenches
Gervon Dexter was the highest rated recruit that Dan Mullen landed during his time coaching Florida football. He was the top player in Florida in the 2020 class, and has liven up to the hype.
During his sophomore campaign last year, Dexter totaled 50 tackles, 20 of which were solo, to go along with 2.5 sacks.
While his numbers already show great promise, most of his impact doesn’t show up in the box score. Dexter is an absolute freak. At 6’5”-318, he’s regularly the biggest guy on the football field.
His strength does 1 of 2 things on every play. The first is that it forces a double team, leaving guys like Brenton Cox Jr. and Princely Umanmielen in 1 on 1s. The second is that he gets to manhandle the O-lineman who got the unlucky draw of trying to block him alone.
*moves Gervon Dexter (DT 9) up watchlist priority pic.twitter.com/Bgo47BsqIG
— Draft Guy Jared (@DraftGuyJared) July 21, 2022
The Gators are going to rely on Dexter to be the leader of the D-line. Like I said before, all the attention that Dexter draws will open up opportunities for the other guys to make plays.
Obviously, Dexter is not just a decoy. With 2 years of playing experience under his belt, look for him to put the country on notice, and emerge as one of the best interior D-linemen in the country.