Florida’s defense will lose some significant experience and depth following the dismissal of a veteran linebacker and multi-year starter.

Brenton Cox Jr. was reportedly dismissed from the team, according to Zach Abolverdi of GatorsOnline. Cox, who has 35 tackles this season, and 2 sacks, has been a starter with the Gators for 3 years after he transferred from Georgia.

He’s started at Jack and Buck linebacker throughout his career, and started 7 games this season. He got off to a great start to open the season against Utah, as Cox made 10 tackles (3 solo), including 0.5 TFL and a quarterback hurry and was named SEC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week for the first week. He made 2 tackles on Saturday against Georgia.

Cox in his career between Georgia and Florida is one of the more experienced players around, as he’s appeared in 45 games since he was a freshman in 2018.

Last year, he made 41 tackles each in 2020 and 2021, and made 20 in 2018.