Florida football position preview: Safeties enter season with new look

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Florida's safety and STAR rooms underwent significantly more turnover than the cornerback position this offseason. However, the Gators still return one of the most experienced players on the defense to anchor the back end.

Bryce Thornton is back after starting 11 games last season, while transfers DJ Coleman and Kanye Clark earned the other two starting jobs on Florida's Week 1 depth chart. Behind them, the Gators have a mix of experienced transfers, returning young players and freshmen competing for rotational roles.

Safeties coach Chris Collins leads the group, having followed defensive coordinator Brad White from Kentucky to Gainesville. Florida lost longtime starter Jordan Castell and starting STAR Sharif Denson to the transfer portal, but rebuilt the room with several players who already have significant college experience.

Here's a closer look at Florida's safeties and STAR nickelbacks entering the 2026 season.

Check out Gators Wire's other position previews:

• Quarterbacks
• Running Backs
• Wide Receivers
• Tight Ends
• Offensive Tackles
• Interior Offensive Line
• Defensive Line/JACK
• Linebackers
• Cornerbacks

Starting Safety: No. 1 Bryce Thornton (Sr.)

Thornton enters his fourth season at Florida as the clear anchor of a secondary that underwent significant turnover during the offseason.

He started all 11 games he appeared in last season and finished second on the team with 56 tackles while adding three tackles for loss, a sack, an interception, seven passes defended, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. Thornton also returned one of those recoveries for a 37-yard touchdown in the season opener.

PFF charted Thornton for a team-high 681 defensive snaps and gave him a 78.3 overall grade. He earned an 80.2 tackling grade, 74.9 coverage grade and an 88.9 pass-rush grade while generating nine pressures on only 20 pass-rush snaps.

Thornton's value also comes from how many places Florida can use him. He logged 291 snaps at free safety, 230 in the box and 142 in the slot last season, giving defensive coordinator Brad White flexibility to move him around depending on the matchup.

That experience and versatility helped Thornton earn Florida's No. 1 jersey this offseason, an honor Sumrall said comes with expectations both on the field and as a leader.

“I expect both those guys to be good players,” Sumrall said of Thornton and Vernell Brown III. “Just as importantly, I expect those guys to be great leaders. And you're not going to get that jersey number here without probably being an explosive playmaker on offense and without being a consistent, steady leader on defense, which Bryce has been.”

Starting Safety: No. 33 DJ Coleman (Sr.)

* = Baylor

Coleman gives Florida another veteran presence alongside Thornton after spending three seasons at Baylor.

He broke into the starting lineup full-time last season, starting 11 of 12 games and setting career highs with 46 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and six passes defended. Coleman also forced a fumble while producing his best season in coverage.

PFF charted Coleman for 593 defensive snaps in 2025 and gave him a 70.0 overall grade. He earned a 71.2 coverage grade and allowed 20 catches on 32 targets for 141 yards without surrendering a touchdown. Opposing quarterbacks had a 46.5 NFL passer rating when targeting him.

Most of Coleman's work last season came at nickel, where he logged 362 snaps, but his experience extends throughout the secondary. He also played in the box and at deep safety at Baylor, giving Florida flexibility with how it deploys him alongside Thornton and starting STAR Kanye Clark.

Coleman made an early impression after arriving in Gainesville, intercepting Aaron Philo in the Orange and Blue Game, and his experience has helped him quickly become a vocal presence in a secondary featuring several new faces.

“DJ's very bright in terms of just football understanding,” safeties coach Chris Collins said. “Really excited about the versatility that he adds to the room, playing multiple positions at his last stop, and again, his football awareness and his IQ have been something we've been very pleased with.”

Starting STAR: No. 20 Kanye Clark (Sr.)

* = UCLA

Clark arrives at Florida after taking an unconventional path from walk-on to starting STAR.

He passed up several scholarship opportunities to walk on at UCLA in 2023, appeared in five games as a freshman and earned a scholarship the following spring. After an injury limited him to two games in 2024, Clark carved out a larger role last season, appearing in nine games and making two starts.

He finished 2025 with 22 tackles, a tackle for loss, two pass breakups and a forced fumble. PFF charted Clark for 207 defensive snaps, with his workload split primarily between outside corner and the slot. He logged 80 snaps at wide corner, 79 in the slot and another 41 in the box.

That versatility translates naturally to Florida's STAR position, where Clark will be asked to cover receivers in space, fit against the run and contribute as a blitzer. He's listed as the Week 1 starter on the two-deep.

His physical profile has also stood out since arriving in Gainesville. Despite being listed at 5-foot-10 and 184 pounds, Clark said he bench-pressed and power-cleaned 315 pounds, deadlifted 525 and single-leg squatted 405 during the offseason. He was also one of only two players to beat Jayden Woods during Florida's Gauntlet conditioning competition.

“He's really twitchy. Great short-area quickness. Has a knack for leverage and instincts on the football,” Sumrall said. “He's got a little spark-plug mentality, like the way he plays. He gives you a little juice, a little bit of an edge, a little bit of a chip on his shoulder.”

Primary Backups: No. 10 Cam Dooley (Jr.), No. 2 Lagonza Hayward (So.) and No. 43 Alfonzo Allen Jr. (5th)

Cam Dooley

* = Kentucky

Dooley followed defensive coordinator Brad White and safeties coach Chris Collins from Kentucky to Florida after emerging into a larger role late last season.

The 6-foot-2, 207-pound safety appeared in all 12 games in 2025 and started the final three, finishing with 30 tackles, a tackle for loss, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He recorded his first career interception and forced fumble in his first start against Tennessee Tech before closing the season with a career-high six tackles at Louisville.

PFF charted Dooley for 413 defensive snaps and gave him a 69.0 overall grade, including a 70.9 coverage grade. He allowed six catches on 10 targets for 80 yards without surrendering a touchdown, good for a 45.8 NFL passer rating when targeted.

Dooley also brings experience playing throughout the secondary. He logged 211 snaps at free safety, 134 in the box and 62 in the slot last season, familiarity that should make him a natural fit in the same defensive system he played in at Kentucky.

That experience gave Dooley a head start after transferring. However, Collins said the challenge was continuing to develop the details of his game while establishing himself within a new locker room.

“Cam has invested in that process and you kind of see his voice start to elevate,” Collins said. “In terms of understanding the defense, there's definitely a foundation there for him. Now we got to continue to work at the fundamentals, you know, the fundamentals within that scheme and that structure.”

Dooley enters Week 1 directly behind Thornton on the depth chart, giving Florida an experienced third safety who already understands what White and Collins expect from the position.

Lagonza Hayward

Hayward worked his way into Florida's defensive rotation as a freshman and enters his second season as one of the more intriguing young players in the safety room.

The 6-foot-1, 207-pound defensive back appeared in 12 games last season and recorded 12 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack. His most productive game came against Mississippi State, when he finished with six tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.

PFF charted Hayward for 128 defensive snaps, including 103 in the slot. He earned a 64.6 overall grade and a 65.3 coverage grade while allowing seven catches on 10 targets for 51 yards.

Hayward also showed some versatility near the line of scrimmage, logging snaps in the box and as a blitzer. He generated three pressures on 12 pass-rush snaps, including a sack.

Florida recruited Hayward as a four-star prospect, and he enters Week 1 directly behind Coleman on the depth chart after gaining valuable experience as a freshman. His combination of size, physicality and experience at both safety and STAR gives the Gators another movable piece in the secondary.

“Lagonza is a monster in the weight room,” Collins said. “He’s growing. We got a long way to go. We’re talking about the consistency part, he’s growing, man. … Excited about where he is, he’s got a long way to go, but he has been willing.”

Alfonzo Allen Jr.

* = Baylor

Allen emerged as one of Florida's more productive defenders late last season after spending most of his first year with the Gators in a reserve role.

The 5-foot-11, 196-pound veteran appeared in six games and made three starts in 2025, recording 34 tackles despite seeing defensive action in only four contests. His breakout came against Mississippi State, when he made his first Florida start and finished with 15 tackles, the most by a Gator in a game since 2021.

Allen followed that performance with seven tackles against Tennessee and three against Florida State, giving the Gators a physical presence on the back end during the final stretch of the season.

PFF charted Allen for 243 defensive snaps and gave him a 70.5 overall grade. He played primarily at free safety, logging 146 snaps there, but also spent 55 snaps in the box and 23 in the slot. In coverage, he allowed five catches on seven targets for only 32 yards and no touchdowns.

That flexibility has carried into the new defense. Although Florida lists Allen at safety, he enters Week 1 directly behind Clark at STAR, and Sumrall has mentioned him as one of several defensive backs capable of moving into the nickel role depending on the matchup.

“Alfonzo Allen, who's just really steady as well,” Sumrall said. “Kind of complements the top guys in that room. He just does the right thing a lot and does it really well.”

Rotational Depth: No. 9 Drake Stubbs (So.) and No. 28 Elijah Owens (So.)

Drake Stubbs

Stubbs spent most of his freshman season contributing on special teams before getting his first extended defensive opportunities late in the year.

The 6-foot-1, 203-pound safety appeared in eight games and recorded three tackles. All three came over the final two games, including two against Tennessee and one against Florida State.

PFF charted Stubbs for 60 defensive snaps, with 40 coming at free safety and another 13 in the box. His defensive workload was concentrated entirely in those final two games, when he played 30 snaps against Tennessee and 30 against Florida State.

Stubbs also logged 54 special teams snaps, including 39 on kickoff coverage, giving him a path to continued game-day work while he develops behind Florida's more experienced safeties.

He arrived at Florida as one of the highest-rated members of the 2025 recruiting class, earning five-star status from Rivals and ranking as its No. 28 overall prospect and No. 2 safety nationally.

Elijah Owens

* = Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

Owens joins Florida after a productive freshman season at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. The 6-foot-2, 209-pound STAR appeared in 11 games and finished second on the team with 65 tackles, adding 1.5 tackles for loss, an interception and three pass breakups.

Owens was consistently productive throughout the season, recording double-digit tackles three times. He posted 11 tackles against Pearl River and East Central before setting a career high with 13 against Northwest Mississippi, a game in which he also recorded his first collegiate interception.

He also brings experience on both sides of the ball from high school. Owens recorded 48 tackles, three interceptions and four pass breakups as a senior while also catching 24 passes for 536 yards and four touchdowns and rushing for 102 yards and six scores.

Freshmen: No. 30 Dylan Purter (Fr.) and No. 34 Kaiden Hall (Fr.)

Florida's freshman group features a pair of four-star defensive backs with different skill sets and developmental paths.

Dylan Purter

Purter arrives as one of the higher-rated defensive backs in Florida's 2026 recruiting class and will begin his career at STAR.

The 6-foot, 184-pound freshman was a consensus four-star prospect and ranked by Rivals as the No. 181 overall player, No. 15 safety and No. 8 prospect in Alabama. He flipped his commitment from LSU to Florida during the early signing period.

Purter totaled 148 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three sacks, two interceptions and 11 pass deflections across his sophomore and junior seasons at Booker T. Washington High School. He also played alongside fellow Florida freshman Marquez Daniel.

Purter has spent his first offseason learning behind Clark at STAR, and the veteran transfer said the freshman has already shown progress.

“Dylan Purter, that's another freshman. He's playing behind me, and he's been doing great,” Clark said. “I've been able to watch his growth, and he's been helping me stay on top of all my work and whatnot.”

Clark said he has also worked with Purter on learning the playbook and playing faster as he adjusts to the college level.

Kaiden Hall

Hall gives Florida one of the most physically developed freshmen in the safety room at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds.

The Milton High School product was rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals and ESPN, with Rivals ranking him No. 205 nationally, No. 17 among safeties and No. 27 in Florida.

Hall was a two-way standout in high school, finishing his career with 129 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, four interceptions and two pass breakups. He also played quarterback as a senior, throwing for 638 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 798 yards and 15 scores.

His athleticism has carried over since arriving at Florida. Sumrall said during camp that Hall reached 22.5 mph while working his way through a minor soft-tissue issue, an impressive number for a 210-pound safety.

Hall isn't listed on Florida's Week 1 two-deep, but his combination of size, speed and experience playing multiple roles gives the Gators an intriguing developmental option on the back end.

Walk-Ons: No. 35 Brayden Slade (Sr.) and No. 32 Eric Parks (Fr.)

Brayden Slade

Slade enters his fourth season at Florida after joining the program as a preferred walk-on in 2023.

The 6-foot-1, 193-pound safety made his collegiate debut last season and appeared in three games. He logged 27 total snaps, including 26 on defense, and recorded his first career tackle against Tennessee.

PFF charted Slade for 22 snaps at free safety and four in the box. His most extensive defensive action came against Tennessee, when he played 17 snaps.

Slade did not appear during his first two seasons in Gainesville, but his experience in the program gives Florida another veteran option deep in the safety room.

Eric Parks

Parks joins Florida as a freshman walk-on after a productive career at Tampa Bay Tech, where he was teammates with Gators wide receiver Dallas Wilson.

The 6-foot, 193-pound safety was rated as a three-star prospect by ESPN, 247Sports and Rivals. He finished his senior season with 31 tackles, three tackles for loss, two pass breakups and a forced fumble.

Parks held offers from Wake Forest, South Florida, Southern Miss, UConn and Liberty before joining Florida.

He enters his first season outside the Week 1 two-deep and will have time to develop behind a safety room featuring several veterans and experienced young players.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida football position preview: Safeties enter season with new look

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