We’re all quick to highlight Vernon Hargreaves as Florida’s best player on defense, a can’t-miss All-American cornerback who will likely be selected in the first round of next year’s NFL draft.

He’s as good as they come at the college level and pound-for-pound one of the SEC’s best players at any position.

But it’s unfair to stop at VH3.

The Gators have several other studs worthy of mention this season on Geoff Collins’ first-year defense.

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We’ve talked at length this offseason about Florida’s veteran-rich secondary behind Hargreaves, but another core strength on this season’s unit comes in the trenches and within the Gators’ star-studded linebacking corps.

Alex McCalister is one of the SEC’s brightest young stars at defensive end while Bryan Cox and Jonathan Bullard will each have a hand in replacing some of the production lost by All-SEC performer Dante Fowler.

One of my SDS colleagues has picked McCalister as his ‘2015 breakout player’ and says the hybrid defender and former basketball player was once a raw pass rusher who has transformed into a reliable, high-motor end. McCalister made nine tackles behind the line of scrimmage last fall and contributed six sacks, second only to Fowler’s 8.5.

Gator Nation followed the progress of injured linebackers Antonio Morrison and Jarrad Davis very closely during the spring. Both are expert tacklers at their position and give Florida an obvious edge defensively against the run.

The prognosis for Davis, who tore his meniscus in November and missed all of spring practice, is clear — the coaching staff expects him back at full strength for fall camp. Jim McElwain has been a bit more secretive about Morrison’s left knee. At the SEC spring meetings in Destin, Fla., last month, McElwain said Morrison will likely miss some practice time and a timetable has not been set for his return.

Outside of Hargreaves, Morrison is Florida’s most important player defensively this season, a guy who will shoulder much of the leadership burden as well.

Draft guru and avid film-watcher Todd McShay had this to say about Morrison on Monday:

The senior from Bellwood, Ill., accumulated a team-best 101 tackles last season and earned All-SEC second team honors. He was the first linebacker to hit triple-digit tackles since Brandon Spikes in 2007.

Alex Anzalone handled most of the first-team reps this spring, filling in for Davis and Morrison in impressive fashion. Primarily a special teamer his first two seasons, the junior expects to play a much larger role at linebacker this fall and could be thrust into action early if Morrison’s not ready to go.

Even with an inconsistent offense throughout Will Muschamp’s tenure, Florida had a Top 5 SEC defense throughout. Don’t expect that to change this fall since the Gators’ talent on that side of the football remains considerable.