The Gators have officially added three junior-college transfers to their roster, and it’s no accident that all three play in the trenches.
“This league is a line of scrimmage league – I’ve said it from my first press conference,” Florida coach Will Muschamp said. “You’ve got to continue to build depth up front. You are going to have injuries up front. You’ve got to continue to build quality depth and guys who can block the edges and control the defensive fronts we’re going to see and also be able to apply pressure on these offenses.
“We’re excited about these three young men.”
Florida added a pair of hulking offensive linemen in former Nebraska starter Tyler Moore (6-5, 312 pounds) and 6-foot-8, 363-pound Trenton Brown of Georgia Military College. Defensive lineman Darious Cummings, a former standout at Titusville Astronaut High who spent last season at East Mississippi Community College, also signed.
The three are expected to enroll in classes in January and participate in spring practice.
Moore arrives with the most experience. A former prep star at Clearwater Countryside, Moore signed with Nebraska out of high school and played in nine games as a true freshman in 2011 – starting four. Moore was just the 10th true freshman offensive lineman since 1973 to start for the Cornhuskers and the first in school history to start the season opener.
Seeking to return closer to home, Moore left Nebraska and spent last year attending St. Petersburg Junior College.
Meanwhile, Brown has spent the past two years at Georgia Military College after graduating from Westover High in Albany, Ga. Muschamp recruited the Albany area heavily as an SEC assistant and has long known Georgia Military College coach Bert Williams.
Brown’s addition gives the Gators one of the biggest offensive linemen in the conference.
“He is a massive human being,’’ Muschamp said. “He’s got really good feet, really good change of direction.”
Both Moore and Brown are considered top prospects and provide the offensive line with more depth after several key starters suffered injuries this season.
“Trent is going to go through the transition from playing junior-college football to playing in the SEC,’’ Muschamp said. “That will be a little bit of transition. Tyler missed this fall, so there is going to be a little transition for him as well. Both guys are athletically, and from a size standpoint, what we’re looking for.”
On defense, Cummings joins a unit that finished the regular season ranked fifth in the nation. Cummings started his college career at Florida State and appeared in five games in 2010 and 2011.
He suffered a season-ending injury in 2011 and later transferred to East Mississippi Community College, where he had 26 tackles and three sacks in 10 games this season as EMCC finished 8-2 and ranked No. 15 in the nation.
“He is a very active guy inside,’’ Muschamp said. “We feel like we’ve got to continue to improve our line of scrimmage and add depth to our line of scrimmage.”
