Florida football: Five players Billy Napier says have stood out in spring practice

Florida football: Princely Umanmielen

We got to see Princely a good bit last season rushing off the edge, especially after Brenton Cox Jr. got dismissed from the team.

Umanmielen, entering his fourth season with the Gators, will be one of the veteran leaders on the defensive line, and is looking to have his best season thus far.

“Princely’s practice habits have improved, much more consistent as a person I think that’s leading to a much more consistent player.” said Napier.

One thing I noted throughout this conference was how much Napier brought up guy’s character, even when the questions were abotu on field performance. I think that speaks to the kind of program that Napier is working to build in Gainesville.

But back to Princely, he’s primed to have an outstanding redshirt junior campaign. Last season he racked up 39 tackles and 4.5 sacks, as well as forcing fumbles against Texas A&M and Eastern Washington.

Princely was one of the top defensive ends in the class of 2020, and was a top 40 player coming out of Texas. While he hasn’t gotten the consistent reps to really shine yet, we’ve seen flashes of the talented player the Gators recruited.

A quick first step and active hands allow him to get into the backfield fast, and disrupt an offense with ease.

Hearing that he’s working harder in practice and developing both on and off the field should excite Gator fans to watch him this season.