College football 2018: Top 30 breakout players to watch

At 6’4″, 360 pounds, Tedarrell Slaton was a high school All-American offensive guard and the number one interior o-line prospect in the 2017 recruiting class according to multiple recruiting sites. He committed to Florida on national signing day last year and immediately impressed coaches and teammates with his power and quickness at that size.

Florida’s defensive coaches saw something in Slaton, tried him out at defensive tackle during pre-season practice last summer, and no one has looked back. In spite of the learning curve and the fact that most players, especially freshman, take some time to learn the technique and intricacies of a new position before seeing the field, Slaton played immediately, appearing in 11 games and seeing more snaps as the season progressed.

Like most great four and five-star players, Slaton played on both sides of the ball in high school and did so without having to do much more than line up and physically dominate whoever they lined up against. After a full season playing defensive line, Slaton has a better understanding of what it takes to compete consistently, to do his job and impact the defense on every snap rather than just standing out for a few plays.

With Dan Mullen’s arrival in Florida and the installation of a new 3-4 defense, Slaton is now playing in a perfect system for his size and skill set. If he can continue to develop at defensive tackle and become the kind of player who commands double teams upfront every play he’s on the field, he’ll be a key to Florida’s defense.