Next man up at DLU: CeCe Jefferson following in Jon Bullard’s footsteps
By Andrew Olson
Published:
We all know about Florida and LSU’s ongoing social media debate over who can claim the title of DBU (Defensive Backs University).
But why hasn’t UF also claimed DLU for its recent tradition of putting defensive linemen into the league? Before he played his first game, CeCe Jefferson was promoting the nickname, or at least teasing it.
Just got "UF is the real DLU" tatted on my chest!
— Carl (@cecejeferson7) May 30, 2015
Lol okay,I lied abt the tatoo.
— Carl (@cecejeferson7) May 30, 2015
Jefferson would not have been off base if he had actually gotten the tattoo.
In the upcoming NFL draft, Jonathan Bullard could become the fourth consecutive Gators defensive lineman selected in the first round, following Sharrif Floyd (No. 23, 2013), Dominique Easley (No. 29, 2014) and Dante Fowler Jr. (No. 3, 2015). Bullard is a potential first-round pick because instead of jumping to the league as a proven pass rusher after his junior year, he returned to Florida for another season and learned how to play inside at defensive tackle, adding versatility to his usefulness upfront.
Replacing an NFL talent like Bullard on the defensive line is no easy task, especially one responsible for 66 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, but the Gators are going to try to replicate what worked a year ago by sliding CeCe Jefferson over from defensive end to defensive tackle.
From a size and talent standpoint, it could work. The 6-foot-1, 270-pound Jefferson is close to Bullard’s 6-foot-3, 283-pound stature. Both were five-star recruits, but Bullard had three seasons of prior college experience before making the position change compared to Jefferson’s one.
It was, however, an impressive rookie season for Jefferson. Playing mostly off the bench, Jefferson recorded 29 tackles, including 8.5 TFL and 3.5 sacks as a freshman, better across the board than Bullard’s first-year numbers (27 tackles, 5 TFL, 1.5 sacks) in 2012.
A player’s attitude might be a better indicator than his height, weight or stats of whether he can handle the transition from an edge rusher who makes quarterback sacks to a disruptor who takes on double teams and plugs up the middle.
Coach Jim McElwain praised Bullard last season by calling the move inside “unselfish.” As UF defensive line coach Chris Rumph put it, defensive tackle is not a “sexy” position like defensive end.
At a recent media opportunity, defensive coordinator Geoff Collins said that Jefferson takes a similar approach to Bullard:
“The best thing about CeCe Jefferson is that he’s one of the most coachable kids I’ve ever been around. He’s very unselfish, he’s a team first guy and he’s, ‘Whatever you want me to do coach, I’m gonna do.’ I think that’s a testament to his upbringing and who he is as a kid. He’s done a lot of things for us and unselfishly gone inside.”
If Jefferson can successfully replace an NFL-bound defensive tackle, and Florida’s dominant defense doesn’t skip a beat, it might be time to get that DLU tattoo.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaign of Fred Taylor.
