Billy Napier comments on defensive line with Caleb Banks set to miss time
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Whether you look at a pair of losses, DJ Lagway’s rocky play or the myriad of injuries that have plagued the team, Florida’s start to the 2025 season has gone about as poorly as one could imagine.
Adding insult to injury Saturday night was Caleb Banks’ long-awaited return. The senior defensive lineman was expected to be a leader for the Gators up front, but he injured his lower leg during fall camp and missed their first two games of the season.
Then when he took to the field against LSU, Banks re-aggravated the injury, and it has since been announced that he will miss a significant period of time.
With 42 tackles, 6.5 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles to his name over three seasons (1 with Louisville, 2 with Florida), Banks’ presence will be sorely missed.
But as AlligatorSports’ Luke Adranga reported, Billy Napier is still confident in his unit despite its youth.
Amongst the group, Napier pointed at sophomore Tarvorise Brown, freshman Joseph Mbatchou and sophomore Brendan Bett as players who could shine with added playing time.
A 6-foot-7 native of Miami, Brown recorded a tackle in 2024 after he rose up from the junior college ranks. He initially committed to the program as a preferred walk-on out of Hutchinson C.C. in Kansas.
Meanwhile, Mbatchou is a promising freshman out of powerhouse Grayson High School in Georgia, and the former 4-star recruit as rated by 247Sports did see time in the season-opening win over Long Island.
Lastly, Bett made major headlines when he spit on a South Florida player earlier this season, but the former Baylor transfer returned to the field at Death Valley and tallied four total tackles in the loss.
Current sports editor with the Enterprise-Journal in McComb, Mississippi. 2024 graduate from Mizzou and college athletics enthusiast.
