Tennessee football: Five key Florida Gators to watch for against Vols
![Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson (15) tosses the ball to Florida Gators running back Montrell Johnson Jr. (2) d1hds at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 17, 2022. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs South Florida Bulls](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2Ff54d9c1ae766122c6a08fcb2abd2ac2de4e5f6f9b1b339799e404d80bab0d229.jpg "Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson (15) tosses the ball to Florida Gators running back Montrell Johnson Jr. (2) d1hds at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 17, 2022. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs South Florida Bulls")
Defensive back. Senior. Trey Dean III. player. 840. Pick Analysis. 3. Scouting Report
6’3″ 207 pounds
A preseason All-SEC defensive back, Trey Dean III is living up to the hype so far this year. Dean has a team-leading two and a half tackles for a loss, a pass deflection and has already assisted on a sack this year. The Gators’ loss to Kentucky wasn’t his fault, as he had one and a half tackles for a loss, that assist on a sack and that pass deflection. His other tackle for a loss came against Utah.
Also, Dean leads the team in total tackles with 30 and solo tackles with 16. Starting at strong safety, he is living up to the billing, as he’s a very physical player who can basically be another linebacker in there, and that’s a big deal against an offense like Tennessee football’s.
As we mentioned, Hendon Hooker struggled in the pocket at times last year. Different blitz packages involving guys like Dean could really affect that. He could also help slow down the run. Gervon Dexter hasn’t lived up to the hype doing that on the line, although he has an interception, so Dean cheating up may be what’s needed.
Dean playing his role helped Tre’Vez Johnson and Jalen Kimber each get an interception this year. Kimber had a pick-six. All of these guys could have been on this list, but Dean has the biggest impact right now, so he’s the main guy UT needs to focus on.
Last year, he had one and a half tackles for a loss, a pass deflection and 11 overall tackles, five of which were solo, against UT. He had a sack and eight tackles, six of which were solo, against the Vols in 2020. In 2019, he had an interception against the Vols, so he has been a Vol killer.