Cornerbacks for Florida football 2022
The Florida Gators enter the 2022 season with a very young group of cornerbacks. No one listed on Florida’s roster is above a redshirt sophomore. With new co-defensive coordinators Patrick Toney and Sean Spencer, along with defensive backs guru Corey Raymond now on staff for Billy Napier, many fans of Florida football are hoping for a much improved unit compared to what was seen under Todd Grantham.
We are going to look at all seven cornerbacks listed on Florida’s roster and give our thoughts on what to expect
For the purpose of this list we are going off of Florida’s official roster and we will have a separate breakdown for those that are listed as safety.
Jason Marshall
Marshall is a former five-star prospect and was considered the #2 high school cornerback in the country for the class of 2021.
Listed at 6-1, 198 pounds, Marshall is one of Florida’s biggest corners size wise.
Marshall appeared in all 13 games last year, starting six.
With Kaiir Elam gone to the NFL, Marshall is going to need to step up as a leader of the group.
Last season Marshall held up well in pass coverage when challenged and has the speed to handle press coverage when asked.
His interception against FSU when left in a one-on-one situation showcased that Marshall can locate the ball well and has the hands to secure the ball when given the chance.
His open field tackling could be better and he typically offered minimal support in the run game, often being shoved off the line by his opposing WR.
Avery Helm
The other “elder statesman” of the cornerback room, Helm is a redshirt sophomore that is a former four-star prospect out of Texas.
Listed at 6-1, 170 pounds, Helm started nine games for Florida last season.
Helm had a similar role as Marshall last year. He was mostly protected in his matchup assignments and rarely was left on an island in coverage. He held up in pass coverage with the roles that he was given.
Like Marshall as well, Helm didn’t contribute a ton to the run game and open field tackling was hit-or-miss.
Jalen Kimber
Kimber comes to Florida after two seasons at Georgia that saw him play very little. He played three games in 2020 and just one game in 2021 before suffering a shoulder injury that ended his season.
With little game film on Kimber, Gator fans are left to hope that the upside he had coming out of high school translates in Gainesville.
Kimber was a four-star recruit out of Texas that was the #8 ranked high school corner in the country for the class of 2020 and he played in the All-American Bowl.
Listed at 6-0, 178 pounds, Kimber’s strength is his speed.
Kimber has been clocked in the 40-yard dash at 4.44.
He did see action in Florida’s Spring Game and came away with an interception.
Ethan Pouncey
The 2nd-cousin of Gator legends Maurkice and Mike Pouncey, Ethan Pouncey has a slender frame at 6-1, 168 pounds.
Pouncey saw action in 11 games last year after redshirting in 2020.
Despite being a Pouncey, being a former four-star recruit, and playing in 11 games last year, there is still a lot unknown about him.
Pouncey didn’t have any verified times coming out of high school and he saw minimal action last year despite appearing in 11 games.
He was listed at 160 pounds coming out of high school, so on paper he still has only added eight pounds to an already questionable frame.
In theory Pouncey should be able to hold up in coverage, but helping out in the run game might be a big ask.
Jaydon Hill
After missing the 2021 season due to injury, Jaydon Hill returns to the mix this season.
The former 4-star prospect that was ranked as the 32nd best corner in the high school class of 2019, Hill is listed at 6-0, 181.
Hill had a productive 2020 in pass coverage and was credited with seven pass breakups.
Hill was also tasked with playing safety at times under Todd Grantham’s tutelage.
In a story that is also repetitive with Grantham’s corners, Hill struggled with tackling and was only credited with nine solo tackles in 2020 despite playing in all 12 games.
Notably, Hill whiffed on an open field tackle in the 2020 SEC title game against Alabama on a 3rd-and-6 in the second quarter that led to a Crimson Tide touchdown.
Jordan Young
Young was a three-star prospect out of Tampa in 2021. He was near the bottom of the depth chart last season as he did get into three games (USF, Vanderbilt, Samford), but not until late even in those games.
He is listed at 6-0, 190 pounds, which makes him weight wise one of Florida’s bigger corners.
Without much college tape on Young, his high school tape showcases a player that has upside if he can improve his technique.
Young also returned punts and kickoffs in high school and took multiple kicks to the house, so keep an eye on him to be in the mix to be a returner should the need arise.
Devin Moore
The final member of Florida’s cornerback room is true freshman Devin Moore.
Moore is a four-star prospect out of Naples that was listed as a safety in high school, but is currently listed as a CB with the Gators.
At 6-3, 198 pounds, Moore is by far the biggest corner listed on Florida’s roster.
And based on his high school film, he isn’t afraid to use his size either.
Moore was frequently asked to play press coverage and seemed to relish in the opportunity.
He also frequently delivered punishing hits when given the chance.
Moore also returned kicks in high school and did it well.
It will be interesting to if Moore cracks the lineup this year as a true freshman, but if he brings a physicality that others don’t he certainly has a chance and word out of Gators training camp is that he is rapidly ascending up the depth chart.
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