It took some time, but Florida’s secondary lived up to its hype last season. After giving up more than 800 yards through the air in their first two games, the Gators clamped down over the rest of the year.

Led by a talented cornerback duo and standout safeties, the Gators boasted one of the stingiest pass defenses in the SEC for much of the season. They return three of their four starters, giving Florida’s new coaching staff a group they can rely on from day one.

After those first two SEC games, the Gators only allowed more than 300 yards through the air twice in their final nine games (and they won the two in which they did) and allowed just seven passing touchdowns in that span against 11 interceptions, heady stuff for a middle-of-the-pack SEC East team.

Jim McElwain swiped Mississippi State defensive coordinator Geoff Collins to take over Florida’s defense. Collins is known for his “Psycho Defense,” bringing chaos and confusion to the field.

Giving Collins such a talented secondary, starring one of the finest cornerbacks in the country in Vernon Hargreaves, rising sophomore Jalen Tabor and safety Marcus Maye, should be an interesting case study. Last year at Mississippi State, the back end of Collins’ defense struggled. Big time. The Bulldogs finished last in the SEC in yards through the air, giving up big play after big play.

Collins inherits a secondary that was as good as any at limiting those big plays. The Gators secondary was fifth in the SEC in pass plays allowed of 20-plus yards, whereas Mississippi State was dead last in pass plays allowed of every 10-yard denomination.

Related: Gators will have the best CB combo in the SEC

Having a lock-down group at the back end of the defense buys Collins time to develop his front seven. The Gators do return standout linebacker Antonio Morrison and several other key contributors from last year, but lose their defensive MVP in Dante Fowler. The linebacker/defensive end hybrid led the team in quarterback hurries and sacks as well as playing like a monster against the run.

Collins’ defensive philosophy generated star-caliber pass rushers at Mississippi State, like likely early-round NFL draft pick Preston Smith. At Florida, he’ll have to identify that player, be it senior defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard or a new name. Having a secondary capable of blanketing receivers will only serve to help that cause, keeping the ball in opposing quarterbacks’ hands long enough to get the pass rush home.

It’s likely that Collins will only get one year of Hargreaves, who already has a case as one of Florida’s best corners of all time. Tabor has the ability to join him on the All-SEC team in 2015, giving Florida one of the best shutdown duos in the country. The entire secondary can cover, tackle and play the ball in the air.

The Gators’ future is still taking shape in the McElwain era. One thing that won’t be in question is Florida’s elite defensive backfield.