Billy Napier hints of a change along the defensive line for Florida Football

The defensive line for Florida Football has been one of the more disappointing aspects of the 2024 season. As we highlighted last week, Florida has seen several players from the group leave the program and become successful elsewhere, while the transfer portal guys Billy Napier has brought to Gainesville haven't stepped up and played at an SEC level.

Perhaps sensing changes need to be made, Napier hinted on Monday one player in the group could get more playing time on Saturday against UCF.

Florida Football: Jack Has Got Your Back

When Justus Boone went down with a knee injury in the training camp of 2023, we thought Jack Pyburn would see an uptick in playing time, but that never came to fruition. Pyburn did get 19 snaps against Georgia and had 26 snaps against Arkansas before tearing his ACL and missing the rest of the 2023 season.

Pyburn was lightly used against Miami and Samford this year before receiving 27 snaps against Texas A&M and 25 against Mississippi State.

Napier was asked on Monday who he thought might push up the depth chart, and Pyburn was a player he highlighted:

"Jack Pyburn's had a lot of production. He'd be a guy that would be at the top of the list, in my opinion. The young backers are good players. And we have to generate some form of a pass rush. That's an area where we're evaluating all the personnel that we use."

While Napier claims Pyburn has had "a lot production," his stat line would claim otherwise. Pyburn has one hurry and one QB hit with zero sacks in 78 snaps in 2024. He has four solo tackles and 11 assists to go with three missed tackles.

The real conundrum is when one looks beyond the stat line and examines what was on film against Mississippi State.

In the 2nd quarter, Pyburn had a play on 1st and 10 with 6:13 left where he was blown out to the side and the Bulldogs ran right at his gap for on first down. On the very next play, with 5:50 left, Pyburn blows up a pulling tackle to stop the Mississippi State RB five yards in the back field.

Likewise, on Mississippi State's second touchdown with 28 seconds left in the 2nd quarter, Pyburn shoots through and blows up the Bulldog RB. Just one problem: the QB had read Pyburn and kept the ball for a walk-in touchdown. But then, on Florida's goal line stand to start the 4th quarter, it was Pyburn who helped stop the 2nd and 3rd down plays that forced the failed pitch on 4th down.

Pyburn is far from a perfect answer for Florida along the defensive line, but it also speaks to Florida's current situation that a hard-nosed player like Pyburn is viewed as a potential solution or at least a stopgap.