Gumbs Jr. Finding Stability Heading into Final Season

His journey began as a walk-on wide receiver. Rated as a three-star prospect, Gumbs Jr. signed with Northern Illinois in the 2021 class. 

Then, after his freshman season with the Huskies, he transitioned to the tight end room, where he also struggled to make an impact. All of this led to him switching once again, but this time to the other side of the ball to become an edge rusher. 

The new position wasn’t all that new, though. Gumbs Jr. shared that he actually suited up on the edge when he first started playing the sport. 

“Fun fact, when I first started playing football, I played center, left guard and D-end, so I've played some edge,” he said. 

You could see his slight familiarity with it, too.

In 2023, his final season at Northern Illinois, he recorded 32 tackles, 6.5 tackles-for-loss, 3.5 sacks, three quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles. He followed this up with a strong first year in Gainesville, as well. He logged 35 tackles, eight tackles-for-loss, five sacks, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery. 

External expectations are much higher now, though, for one of Florida’s best on defense. Fans will have seen the production in year one in the SEC and will be wanting more going into year two. 

Normally, that would also come with internal expectations, but for Gumbs Jr., he only has one specific objective in mind: winning.

“I want to win. That is my big thing. I want to win,” said Gumbs Jr. 

In addition to the desire to win, he has also been vocal about rebuilding the standard that many of the best Gator teams had. 

“I want to set a standard. The Florida Gators' defensive football,” he said. “Just us playing, great communication, flying around and just being Gators.”

He and the Gators will have a chance to set the tone of the season on Saturday in their season opener against Long Island University. Kickoff inside The Swamp is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET with streaming coverage on SEC Network+.