Sophomore safety Jordan Castell was one of Florida’s most productive freshmen on both sides of the football in 2023. Despite struggling on defense last season, Castell earned Freshman All-American and All-SEC honors after leading the Gators defense with 60 total tackles (30 solo).
In his first season with the Gators, everything was new for the Orlando native, but Castell still found a way to shine on the field despite a weak defense. Castell earned a defensive grade of 75.7, which ranks fifth among freshman safeties in 2023 according to Pro Football Focus. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound safety was also Florida’s third-highest-rated player on defense while playing the most snaps of any Gator defensive lineman as a rookie (660).
“A lot of things were new to me. I played a little safety in high school, but I was almost exclusively cornerback, so I played man,” Castell said of the switch from cornerback to safety. “I just go out there with confidence. When I see something, I believe it. A lot of the guys believed in me by showing up to practice and stuff like that and being the same guy every day. That helped a lot.”
Aside from Florida’s loss to Arkansas last season, in which Castell recorded a season-high 11 tackles and his first career interception, Florida’s 29-10 win over Tennessee last season was Castell’s first major performance in just his third college game. It’s clear to everyone in the building that the sky’s the limit for the second-year player, even the head coach.
“Jordan Castell is one of the better secondary players in the country,” Napier said of Castell.
After recording 10 total tackles against the Volunteers, Castell was named the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Week. The experience he gained last season has only given him more confidence and prepared him for his sophomore season.
“I feel a lot more comfortable this year. Last year was busy,” Castell said. “I was like, ‘Man, I’ve never played in front of this many people. This is crazy. All the fans, all the people, especially Tennessee. Tennessee was flying around the ball as soon as they got a snap. But this year I feel a lot more comfortable, but it’s not just me. It’s all the freshmen that came with me. So that’s definitely a good thing for me.”
The Gators will return nine players who gained experience on defense as freshmen last season, and not only is Castell more comfortable in his role, but so are his second-year teammates.
Jordan Castell, Kelby Collins, Aaron Gates, Sharif Denson and TJ Searcy were all ranked in the top 15 of Florida’s highest-rated defensive players at the end of the season.
“I would say you just have to believe in it,” Castell said. “My freshman year, you could look at the record and all that, but we had so many freshmen playing and we all came back. So it’s next year and we’re like, ‘Let’s change this.’ We don’t want to go through that again. We lose all the experience from last year.”
The changes made in the film room have also been a major factor in improving chemistry and communication between all the players on the defensive side of the ball. Last year, the position groups were split up during film meetings, but that is no longer the case this season.
“We’re all in the same room this year. We’re all on the same page,” Castell said. “It’s not like we’re going out to practice — and I’m not trying to compare things to last year — but the communication is so much better. We see things quicker, things like that. The safeties, the stars, all in the same room. At first it was the cornerbacks, safeties and stars, but having everyone in the same room makes everything so much easier.”
With Florida adding experienced players like Asa Turner in the offseason, I think this third-year defense takes a step forward in terms of communication. When players understand the defensive scheme, everyone else can play with more confidence and freedom, especially when everyone is on the same page.
The Gators are expected to return a total of eight players with experience in the secondary, including four transfers with 249 total games played. Florida has the depth they’ve been looking for, and I think that means better communication and more efficient play for the Gators’ secondary in 2024.
