DL Gervon Dexter Embracing Central Role in Gators Defense

In under a month, the Gators will open the season against a top ten opponent in The Swamp as Billy Napier and Co. coach their first contest at the helm of Florida's program. The challenge this offseason has been returning the unit to game-ready form after the steep decline the team experienced a season ago.

The main task on that checklist will be rekindling discipline and success defensively after two straight seasons of lamentable performances.

Allowing 28.7 points per game in the last two years, defensive play caller Patrick Toney inherits a broken unit searching for direction. But, to Toney's benefit, the talent and experience on that side of the ball are not lacking, with skillful veterans occupying spots at all three levels.

As the Gators embark on what they hope to be a disparate structural transition under the new regime, veteran defensive lineman Gervon Dexter Sr. is expected to serve in a central role. Not only will he occasionally deviate from the interior spots he's occupied since he arrived in Gainesville, but he will shoulder the burden of leadership amid the desire for a defensive turnaround.

"I'll be playing, like, the [defensive] end in this defense," Dexter told reporters before reporting to the first training camp session of the fall. "I'm a big team player guy, so if it's a time where Coach P.T. needs me at tackle or at nose, I'll be there, as well. I think a guy like me, I feel like I can play the whole front almost, so there's no role really, just wherever they need me, that's where I'll be at."

To this point in his career, Dexter has operated almost exclusively on the interior of the defensive line. From that position, he has garnered considerable attention as one of the most physically dominant defensive tackles college football has to offer.

He’s totaled 70 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss and one interception from the interior, also creating plenty of pressure for edge rushers to take advantage of. He's lived up to his billing as a five-star recruit out of high school and has gained traction as a potential high draft pick in 2023 with a productive junior campaign.

However, Toney's defense thrives when maximizing players' skillsets through positional versatility. The ability to mix and match where the pieces align proved to be a critical factor in his success at Lousiana-Lafayette. 

That same blueprint is becoming evident in their early recruiting efforts and verbal plans on how they will utilize Dexter.

"I think he is a real flexible player. I know he has played a lot of nose here in the past. He has played some end," Toney explained. "I think the biggest thing he brings is length, obviously, at that position, and that's why you want to put him out there because his length will match up with tackles in this league very well," Toney said. 

"His overall versatility, his basketball background, his athleticism, that lends to help him across the front. You'll see him play in a variety of techniques and positions throughout the course of the year. I think he has done a really good job of embracing that role. And then the thing I respect about him a lot is he spends a lot of extra time. Every great player I've been around has spent a lot of extra time in the film room trying to match their craft on the field, and that's what he has done a really good job of."

Defensive line coach Sean Spencer spoke glowingly of Dexter as he bounces from spot to spot. He, like Toney, believes the 6-foot-6, 313-pound trench monster can wreak havoc from anywhere he aligns upfront.

"He's a guy that really can play a lot of multiple positions for us," he said. "He can play end for us, and he can also do some other things. So he's just a guy that the techniques, no matter where he plays, inside, outside, those techniques will carry over. Because he's such a talented guy, we can use him in different positions."

Dexter credits Spencer for aiding him in his journey to take on the new adventure as he moves around the defensive line.

Namely, he points to the increase in his knowledge as a pass rusher since Spencer took over as the one in charge of his development — even the simple tidbits Dexter said he believes others in his spot around the nation already knew — as the area he needed work in to elevate his game.

"I feel like with Coach Spencer coming in, it's kind of been a blessing almost because the stuff that he teaches, I can't even explain it," Dexter said. "It's crazy. He's just a great coach. He's helped me change my game. I wouldn't think this could happen, but in probably a month, he's changed my game."

The new responsibilities that Dexter has accepted this offseason are not limited to his positional alignment on the field.

His leadership skills will also be put to the test, and he is embracing that challenge to lead by example.

"I've been taught as a child, anybody can talk and say they're a leader and yell real loud and make everybody think they're doing it right, but I think I'm a big guy who I like to lead by example. If I'm doing it the right way, they have no choice but to see me doing it the right way. That's kind of how I've been going about it. 

"Of course, you have to be a little vocal, and I like to get a little vocal and kind of talk a little bit, but my main thing is just leading by example."

The year one success of the Gators' new regime will largely depend on the defense's growth. Dexter, as the leader of the group, will be the X-Factor to turn the wish for drastic improvement into reality.

If he lives up to those expectations, he will be helping Florida expedite the unit's turnaround while simultaneously supporting his own case for a jump to the pros.

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