Florida Football will need to contain a familiar face in order to beat Ole Miss

One of the subplots for Florida Football this past offseason was the transfer of two high-profile players from the 2023 squad. Trevor Etienne left Gainesville to make his way to Athens, and in reality, the Gators have been able to replace his production.

Whether or not Florida has replaced the production of the other high-profile player is debatable. But with that player returning to The Swamp on Saturday, we will get a direct comparison.

Florida Football: Fresh Prince

When Princely Umanmielen opted to leave Florida in the transfer portal, he did not mince words on his way out the door. When asked about why he left Gainesville for Oxford, MS, he said:

"When I dropped back into coverage at Florida, they would just tell me go here, and the coaches here (at Ole Miss) go into detail about what routes are being run."

He also said, "I actually feel like I'm being developed here."

There was a sentiment from Gator fans that Umanmielen took plays off, and he wasn't that great to begin with, but the reality is that in 2023, he led Florida with 45 pressures, 19 more than the next closest Gator pass rusher.

Already in 2024, Umanmielen has 9.5 sacks to go along with 18 hurries and nine hits on the QB, and that's with missing two games this year.

In his last three games against Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Georgia, Umanmielen had two sacks in each game.

For those keeping score at home, Kamran James and Caleb Banks lead Florida with 14 hurries, while Tyreak Sapp leads the way with five sacks.

If Umanmielen continues to be the wrecking ball he has been over the last month and Florida's defensive line reverts back to what we saw against Texas, it could be a long afternoon for the Gators.

But if Florida can find a way to mitigate Umanmielen in the fashion they mitigated LSU's pass rush while also getting the performance from the defensive line that got seven sacks, Florida fans will have plenty of meme material to go around.