University of Florida Athletics issued the following announcement on Aug. 11.
Between the two of them, veteran newcomers Daquan Newkirk and Antonio Valentino have eight seasons of combined experience on the defensive line as collegians. They are spending their final season of eligibility with the Gators, Newkirk transferring from Auburn and Valentino from Penn State.
Newkirk and Valentino are valued additions at a position of need, but it's the guy on the defensive line who didn't even start playing football until late in high school that has generated the most buzz this summer. Some of that has to do with Gervon Dexter's aggressive approach in the name, image and likeness arena. But back in the spring and now into preseason camp, Dexter opened his new teammates' eyes with his raw ability on the field.
"Gervon Dexter is going to be a problem,'' Valentino said after practice on Wednesday. "I'm not saying this just because he's my teammate. Gervon Dexter is going to be a problem once he figures everything out and he really knows how to play football. Somebody is going to pay Gervon Dexter millions of dollars to go play football some day."
Newkirk voiced similar thoughts earlier this week when asked about the 6-foot-6, 303-pound Dexter, who first gained acclaim as a basketball player at Lake Wales High before turning full-time to football.
"I don't want to boost him up too much, but Gervon is an actual beast," Newkirk said. "I know he's a boy, but he's a massive man. He can do a lot of things."
Dexter was among Florida's prized recruits in the class of 2020 and a key building block for the future after helping Lake Wales go 12-1 and reach the Class 5A region finals as a prep senior.
Defensive line coach David Turner has more than 30 years of experience and has tutored more than a dozen defensive linemen who played in the NFL.
Turner knows what talent looks like and Dexter fits the bill.
"He's still developing and he's going to be a good player,'' Turner said. "He really wants to be a great player, but you've got to be good before you can be great. And he's working towards that."
A CRITICAL COMPONENT: Dexter will take on an expanded role in his second season. He flashed signs of his promise a season ago by registering 19 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and an interception in 12 games. Dexter started twice and made an impact in his college debut at Ole Miss when he intercepted a pass for the Gators' first takeaway of the season. Still, Dexter is young and is exploring many options to improve his game, whether that's picking the brains of his older teammates or taking yoga classes instructed by Turner's wife. "I'm just doing the things that need to be done,'' he said. "Yoga's not as easy as it looks. I'm trying to get a little more flexible. So, I feel like that should've been step one for me. Stretching and doing yoga and whatever I feel like needed to be done."
THE BIG PICTURE: There is no denying Dexter's physical gifts. He is a player that immediately grabs your attention because of his size and athleticism when Florida's defense is on the practice field. The key for Dexter this season is how much he improves his knowledge of the game. He admitted a season ago he was not prepared for how fast the college game is compared to high school, where he dominated as a senior with 18 sacks and 103 tackles. "My biggest surprise was definitely the game speed,'' he said. "The man in front of me is just as big or bigger. I was like, 'dang, you gotta work some technique. You gotta learn some moves. You gotta do something to get this man from in front of me.' That was my biggest thing I had to learn."
QUOTE OF NOTE: "He's still relatively new to the game. Things are happening that have never happened to him before on the field. The good thing about him is, he's going to always ask questions. He wants to be good, and that's how he's had to learn, kind of on-the-job training." – Turner on Dexter's evolution
IN THE HUDDLE: As a freshman, Dexter spent most of his playing time at defensive end or the three-technique tackle position. The Gators cross-trained Dexter at nose tackle in the spring to utilize his skill-set at this stage of his career and simplify the game for him. Dexter is versatile enough to play inside or outside but took on the nose tackle assignment with an open mind knowing that it could help him on the road to the NFL. "A lot simpler to me just because you literally come off the ball and beat the center snapping,'' he said. "A lot of times when you come in as a young guy, you don't know, like, all these plays and just everything going through your head. I feel like when you're playing against the center, it's just one man in front of you and just beat him." If Dexter can turn his mentality into consistent production as a sophomore, his veteran teammates will be more impressed than they already are.
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