Florida football: 5 breakout players to watch in 2020

With former Florida standout Jabari Zuniga going pro, there are plenty of opportunities for big plays to be made in the trenches for the Gators this year. One player who has a great shot at having a breakout season is defensive end Zachary Carter. The former four-star recruit out of Hillsborough High School in Tampa, Florida could see a quantum leap in his production.

At 6-foot-4 and 263 pounds, Carter looks to firmly crack the starting lineup in Todd Grantham’s Florida defense. In 2019, he played in all 13 of the Gators’ games, but only made starts against the Missouri Tigers and the Vanderbilt Commodores. With the production he displayed a season ago, it might be time for Carter to become more of a cornerstone in the Gators’ defensive line rotation.

Last season saw Carter amassed 28 total tackles (nine solo, 19 assists), 4.5 of which went for a loss of yardage, as well as sacks of the quarterback. Through two seasons with the Gators, Carter has 36 total tackles, 5.5 for a loss of yardage and those 4.5 sacks from last season. Look for him to push closer towards 10 than towards five in his redshirt junior year.

Historically, Florida head coach Dan Mullen gets the most out of his defensive line talent, regardless of their star rating. Though he hasn’t had a bona fide beast quite like Fletcher Cox since he starred at Mississippi State, Carter might be the next Zuniga in the trenches of note for the Gators. He has big shoes to fill, but he’s certainly ready to rise to the occasion in 2020.