Bryan Cox Jr. has seen top-notch defensive linemen come and go during his time at UF.
Sharrif Floyd. Dominique Easley. Dante Fowler. Jonathan Bullard. Alex McCalister. The list goes on.
Each year, at least one seemingly makes the jump to the NFL.
That doesn’t faze Cox — or anyone else on Florida’s defense, for that matter.
They know there will always be talent coming back.
“You’re always trying to be a top-notch defense no matter what,” said Cox, a redshirt senior. “No matter who you’re losing or who will be back, we’re just trying to be the best.”
Through two weeks, Florida’s defense has played well enough to arguably be one of the best in this young season.
The Gators are second in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total yards allowed per game (168), tied for sixth in scoring defense (allowing 7 points per game), tied for third in total sacks (nine) and tied for 13th in turnover margin (+3).
The group made a statement against Kentucky, holding the Wildcats to just 149 yards of offense and three pass completions while forcing five sacks and three interceptions.
“It’s definitely a sense of pride,” redshirt sophomore Taven Bryan said of the group’s success. “Not only ourselves and individuals, but as a team, it’s kind of how we were like raised when we were brought into this program. We can’t let that fall out.”
Florida is doing that early by making the most of its depth.
Defensive line coach Chris Rumph said last week that his plan is to use a rotation of about 10 players throughout the season.
“Those guys have got one tank,” Rumph said. “There ain’t no second wind with those guys. There’s one tank. Once it’s empty, it’s empty. So my job as a defensive line coach on Saturday is to make sure that by the fourth quarter, they still have something in the tank to go. The more guys we can get to rotate and play — and not just rotate to rotate, but guys to go in and give us quality reps — the better off the team will be.”
And it’s not just one player showing up each game.
In the season-opener against UMass, redshirt freshman Jabari Zuniga led the charge, posting two second-half sacks on back-to-back drives.
Against Kentucky, it was Jordan Sherit who lit up the stat sheet with two sacks of his own.
And then there’s the Caleb Brantleys and the Khairi Clarks of the team, the players who face double- and triple-teams almost every play and open up holes for the rest of their teammates to make plays.
“I just feel like we’re versatile,” Cox said. “We’re a versatile unit. You know, any given day, any given guy can get to the quarterback. I think that’s good for us, and it’ll work for us down the road.”
Contact Jordan McPherson at jmcpherson@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @J_McPherson1126.
UF linebacker Jarrad Davis (40, from left) and defensive linemen Alex McCalister, Bryan Cox Jr. and Jonathan Bullard celebrate after a sack during Florida's 28-27 win against Tennessee on Sept. 26, 2015, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
