Even for a place like Florida, this is an unusual wealth of cornerbacks.
The Gators will go into the season with two of the top cover corners in the country, juniors Loucheiz Purifoy and Marcus Roberson, and are loaded with backups. UF is so rich at corner that it is willing to lend Purifoy to the offense and move former starter Cody Riggs to safety.
“Every last one of our corners could start at another school,” Purifoy said. “We’ve all got experience. We can all play.”
Roberson and Purifoy are two of the best recruits to join Florida since coach Will Muschamp’s arrival in 2011 and arguably the best starting duo in the nation. Lindy’s preseason magazine had Purifoy as the fifth-best corner; Phil Steele’s preview had Purifoy third and Roberson 23rd among those who are draft-eligible.
Purifoy, 6-feet-1, 185 pounds, has grown into one of the best and most aggressive players in the SEC. He is a ferocious hitter who popped three fumbles loose and broke up five passes last year.
He is emerging as a threat in other facets of the game and will begin taking reps at receiver in the next week or so. The Gators experimented with using him on offense last season, and he had an 8-yard run against Florida State and caught a 5-yard pass in the Sugar Bowl. He also appears to be the top candidate for kick returns after Andre Debose suffered a season-ending knee injury last week.
Roberson is an equally exhausting adversary for receivers. As a true freshman two years ago, he started UF’s first 10 games before suffering a neck injury. His 14 pass breakups, including two interceptions, ranked third in the SEC.
Purifoy and Roberson put up those impressive numbers while playing mainly in one-on-one man coverage.
“The way we call the game, we put a lot of pressure on them,” Muschamp said. “They are going to earn a scholarship every Saturday.”
After those stars, the next two corners on the depth chart are seniors with a combined 58 games of experience.
Plenty of teams would love to plug Jaylen Watkins into their starting lineup, though he figures to be the No. 3 cornerback at Florida. Watkins has 19 career starts, including 11 last year. As a junior, he had eight pass breakups and three interceptions.
Jeremy Brown, a sixth-year player who signed with the Gators when George W. Bush was still president, was a full-time starter in 2010 before missing all of the next year with a knee injury. He had injury trouble last year, too, but managed to play 11 games as a reserve.
Sophomore Brian Poole was good enough to play immediately as a backup and special teamer last season and has drawn praise throughout the offseason from coaches and teammates.
Beyond that impressive group of returning corners, Florida added Vernon Hargreaves III and Nick Washington on national signing day. Rivals.com ranked Hargreaves the top cornerback and No. 2 overall prospect in the country, while Washington was the 14th-rated safety.
All of these players seem to fit perfectly into Florida’s plan to make life frustrating for opposing quarterbacks.
Thanks to the combination of a solid pass rush and exceptional coverage in the secondary, the Gators ranked second in the country in opponent passer rating and passing touchdowns last year. They allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete just 52 percent of their passes, the best mark in the SEC.
“There’s a couple positions I think are really important on the defensive side of the ball: You better have guys that can cover, and you better have guys that can rush the passer,” said Muschamp, who has coached 18 defensive backs who went on to become NFL draft picks. “So we’ve put a huge emphasis on finding those guys.
“I think our system and where we’ve been helps us in the recruiting process. Our track record speaks for itself as far as developing defensive backs, and I think that helps attract really good players. They know they’re going to come play in a system that can help them down the road.”
