The seventh in a position-by-position look at the 2026 Gators leading up to fall camp:
What to expect
Florida is banking on senior Kam James , explosive sophomore Jayden Woods , massive Jacksonville State transfer Emmanuel Oyebadejo and redshirt sophomore LJ McCray to lead a renewed and consistent charge off the edge in 2026.
The Gators' inability to regularly apply quarterback pressure played a key role in the team's defensive struggles in 2025. A six-sack day ignited an upset of Texas , and Florida recorded four sacks during wins against Mississippi State and Florida State . But the Gators managed just 26 sacks overall to rank 11th in the SEC for a defense ranked 13th.
After tying with a team-high 3.5 sacks, the 6-foot-6, 280-pound James and freakishly athletic Woods are poised to produce much more.
James, a former Orlando Olympia standout who claims to be the team's best dunker in basketball, has steadily progressed. He knows it is time to break out.
A record-setter in the weight room and cat-quick, the 6-foot-3, 244-pound Woods registered 28 tackles last season and had an interception at Ole Miss, leading the new coaching staff to fly to his native Kansas in January to convince him to remain at Florida after he entered the transfer portal.
The 6-foot-6, 303-pound Oyebadejo might be the most intriguing player on the roster because of his unique length and strength. An unrated prospect out Manchester, England, Oyebadejo (OYA-bada-JOE) arrived in 2024 at Jacksonville State, an FCS school in Alabama .
After an injury in fall camp sidelined him, he showed his considerable potential a season later, recording 41 tackles, including 6 ½ for loss (4 ½ sacks), six quarterback hurries, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles in 2025.
Meanwhile, McCray was on the radar of every major program as the nation's top-rated defensive lineman in the 2024 class. But the former Daytona Mainland star had a lackluster first season and missed all but one game in 2025 with injuries.
This past spring, the 6-foot-6, 270-pound McCray began to look like the player everyone envisioned, leading to high hopes for his third college season.
Kofi Asare , a 6-foot-5, 244-pound former UMass transfer, showed flashes last season at Miami, while 6-foot-5, 272-pound redshirt freshman Jalen Wiggins was a highly touted member of the Gators' 2025 class after a decorated high school career in Tallahassee.
Incoming freshman JaReylan Woods, who had 9.5 sacks as a senior in Tupelo, Mississippi, has tremendous size (6-foot-7, 271) and upside. Powerful 6-foot-4, 250-pouind KJ Ford recorded 15.5 sacks in 2024-25 at Duncanville (Texas) High. Each had a sack in the spring game, but is also sure to suffer growing pains.
The Gators, though, will have options to unleash and keep quarterbacks on their toes.
Returners
Kofi Asare, redshirt senior
Titus Bullard, redshirt sophomore
Charles Emmanuel III, redshirt sophomore
Kamran James, senior
LJ McCray , redshirt sophomore
Eric Seager, redshirt junior
Jalen Wiggins, redshirt freshman
Departures
George Gumbs Jr. (eligibility): 31 tackles, 6.5 for loss (2.5 sacks), four hurries
Tyreak Sapp (eligibility): 34 tackles, 3.5 for loss (one sack), three hurries
Arrivals
KJ Ford (freshman, Duncanville, Texas)
JaReyland McCoy (freshman, Tupelo, Mississippi)
Emmanuel Oyebadejo (redshirt senior, transfer Jacksonville State)
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
