Florida football: Gators DB Jalen Kimber will turn some heads

Florida football will be relying on a lot of new faces to contribute in big ways as they look to improve in year two under Billy Napier.

We’ve already talked about the transfers that will have an impact and highlighted a breakout player at tight end, but there’s another guy on defense who hasn’t gotten talked about yet.

That guy is Jalen Kimber, who’s entering his second year with the Gators after transferring over from Georgia.

Now that he’s fully healthy, and has developed both his body and mind, he’s ready to show the entire country what he can do.

Florida football: A spot that needs to be filled

We know that Jason Marshall Jr. is the Gators’ CB1. But that second spot is a little more up for grabs. Kimber is looking to earn that spot early on and show everybody why he deserves it.

Jalen played with a cast last season but still had a solid impact in Florida’s secondary. He had 13 tackles and a pass deflection, as well as a pick-six in Florida’s game against USF.

This fall, Jalen has looked every bit the part of an SEC DB. He had multiple pass breakups in the Gators’ first scrimmage and has added ten pounds this offseason, standing at 6’0”-185.

It’s also been noted that he’s much more physical this year, which is a necessity in the defense that Austin Armstrong wants to run this fall.

He’s going to dial up pressures frequently, making one-on-one coverage vital to the Gators’ defense. Being physical with wideouts at the line of scrimmage is needed if you’re going to be a dominant man-to-man corner, and Kimber seems to have that under his belt.

If Jalen can become a reliable CB2 for Florida, he and Marshall will make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks all season long.