Florida LB Vosean Joseph proudly showed off his Outback Bowl championship ring on Twitter Monday.

Joseph had six tackles and a pass defended in the Gators’ 30-3 win over Iowa on Jan. 2. This spring, the sophomore is leading a unit which has to replace two starters, Jarrad Davis and Alex Anzalone. It’s a challenge not only in production, Davis and Anzalone were Nos. 2 and 3 on the team in tackles last season, but also in leadership.

“Yeah, between J.D. and Alex and them boys, they were real leaders,” Joseph said after a recent practice. “We really look up to them, to this day. Even when they’re in the NFL, we’re probably still going to call them and ask them for tips and everything.”

Including Davis and Anzalone, the Gators are replacing eight starters from last year’s defense, which ranked No. 2 in the conference in total defense and played a big part in Jim McElwain’s squad winning the SEC East and reaching the Outback Bowl. New defensive coordinator Randy Shannon will be looking to former backups like Joseph to carry the unit as starters.

“Basically, we have a lot of people that just came back,” Joseph referencing UF’s experienced backups. “Either way, we’re still going to put on for the defense no matter what. We’re going to do good because Coach Shannon is one of the best coaches in the nation… We’re just going to keep it going.”