The Florida Gators’ defense entered the offseason facing a significant makeover.
The team was left to replace sack leader Jachai Polite, leading tackler Vosean Joseph, team leader CeCe Jefferson and do-everything defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson following an MVP performance in the Peach Bowl.
Defensive line coach Sal Sunseri’s departure to Alabama and cornerbacks coach Charlton Warren’s jump to Georgia then left head coach Dan Mullen with two staff hires to make amid the final push on the recruiting trail.
But when the dust settled Wednesday during National Signing Day, the Gators had the potential to field a defense even more disruptive, multi-faceted and productive as a 2018 group that yielded an average of just 20 points per game.