When starting linebackers Brandon Siler and Earl Everett were injured and missed a game against Western Carolina last season, few saw it as a good thing.
Now, with a national championship in the bag and a defensive overhaul in progress, the UF football team may wish Siler and Everett had sat out a few more games.
That's because every play those two missed was a chance for this season's starters - sophomores Brandon Spikes and Dustin Doe - to gain valuable experience.
"We have a group of really young linebackers and none have played a lot," UF co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Charlie Strong said.
Spikes will be charged with leading the defense as the middle linebacker, replacing Siler, who was tied for second on the team in tackles last year.
Not only will Spikes have to perform on the field, but he'll also have to be a vocal leader and set a good example for the rest of the team, something Siler excelled at.
That can be a lot of pressure for a sophomore with one start under his belt.
"I'm very concerned about that," UF coach Urban Meyer said.
"However, right now I'd have to grade him a solid 'B' or even heading towards an 'A,' because he's practicing real hard, he's trying to keep that defense together and he loves football."
Spikes is immensely valuable to Meyer, whose goal is to have a strong defense up the middle, and the 6-foot-3, 243-pounder has remained relatively relaxed despite his large role.
"There's no pressure, I just know that I have to be the core of the defense in the middle," Spikes said. "The time has come and I'm ready to perform. It came a little faster than I thought it would, but I'm up for the challenge."
Doe will endure the challenge with Spikes, as he replaces the team's leading tackler, Everett, on the weak side.
Redshirt freshman A.J. Jones will round out the trio, stepping in as the strong side backer in place of Brian Crum.
They will be shored up by handyman Ryan Stamper, a redshirt sophomore who can play all three positions.
"Stamper is that solid player for us, and he has improved tremendously over the past few years," Strong said. "The thing I like about Stamper is that he is a guy that I can take and really have him play any position, because he is smart enough and has enough athletic ability that I can just place him anywhere at the three linebacker positions."
Behind Stamper, four freshmen - Lorenzo Edwards, Brandon Hicks, John Jones and Steven Wilks - are competing for time.
While they certainly lack experience, the linebackers do have a secret weapon - facing one of the country's most explosive offenses every day at practice.
"Guys like (Percy) Harvin, (Tim) Tebow, (Phil) Trautwein, Drew Miller and the others are some of the toughest guys in the conference," Doe said.
"I feel like they make our defense better just lining up against them everyday in practice."
