When Bryan Cox walks up to the left side of the line of scrimmage and squares his 6-foot-3, 269-pound frame toward the quarterback, he has his eyes set on one player: sophomore offensive lineman Fred Johnson.
“He don’t want none of this,” Cox said.
Last year, Florida’s offensive line didn't perform up to coach Jim McElwain's standards.
They allowed just over three sacks per game, worse than 120 FBS teams. McElwain has acknowledged the line's flaws and has repeatedly called last year’s sack total “unacceptable.”
Since the start of preseason practice in early August, Florida’s defensive line has tried to help improve the offensive line each day.
So far, the defensive line’s mindset has been embodied in the play of Cox, a player who routinely beats the younger linemen off the line of scrimmage during Fall camp.
“He doesn’t take plays off,” McElwain said of Cox. “He’s somebody our young guys have been able to look at and say, ‘This is how you go about your practice habits.’ He plays the game hard.”
Along the defensive line, UF has no shortage of playmakers. Caleb Brantley — who started 10 games last season — fills the middle. Senior Joey Ivie, redshirt junior Jordan Sherit, sophomore CeCe Jefferson and Cox look to be major contributors as well.
And they all take pride in attacking UF’s offensive linemen each practice.
“It definitely is one of the best D-Lines in the country,” junior offensive lineman David Sharpe said.
“It’s hard going against those guys every day.”
Even McElwain has taken notice of the increased role of UF’s defensive veterans.
During one practice last week, McElwain took UF’s older players out of a scrimmage to place the emphasis on the freshmen and sophomores.
As play resumed, McElwain heard shouting and clapping from the sidelines. He thought it was the veterans fooling around.
But as he turned, McElwain saw UF’s older players coaching the younger ones from the side.
“It might not seem like much,” McElwain said, “but to me that shows these guys are really into this team.”
Cox agrees.
Entering his fifth year at Florida, he’s bided his time behind several versions of talented UF defensive lines that featured several early NFL Draft picks, including Jonathan Bullard, Dante Fowler Jr., Dominique Easley and Sharrif Floyd.
And now, in his final year at Florida, Cox wants to set the same precedent for UF’s younger players that was set for him year after year.
“It’s just out of the good of my heart. I’m trying to get the team better,” Cox said. “And I think we really have a strong group.”
Contact Ian Cohen at icohen@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @icohenb.
Florida center Cameron Dillard prepares to snap the ball during the 2016 Orange and Blue debut on April 8, 2016, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Dillard is among UF's veterans tasked with leading the next generation of offensive linemen.
