Florida Football: 5 Players Who Must Step Up in Ronald Powell's Absence

Everything was looking up for the Florida Gators, but then Ronald Powell tore his ACL. After leading the team in sacks a year ago, Powell will likely miss most, if not the entire 2012 season. 

It's a loss that hits the defense hard.

With Jaye Howard moving on to the NFL, no other Gator had more than three sacks last season. The Gators' defense was ranked eighth in the country last year and returned 10 starters. For the Gators' defense to rise above the rest, someone will have to fill the hole left by Powell.

Incoming freshman Dante Fowler Jr. chose the Gators over the Seminoles because he felt as though he would get on the field quicker. It may have been a wise choice, but will another freshman step up? Or will Muschamp have to do some maneuvering to find the right replacement?

Here are the five Gators that must increase production for the Florida defense to remain one of the best in the entire country.

Lerentee McCray

Lerentee McCray is perhaps the most obvious candidate to take over some of the responsibility left by Ronald Powell. He has already proven himself to be a very capable defensive lineman in his 30 games at Florida. 

While McCray certainly has the experience needed to fill in, he is not quite the right fit for the lineman/linebacker hybrid position that Powell played.

Regardless, McCray will have to produce more pressure on the opposing quarterback from wherever he plays. The Gators dominated some of their weaker opponents at the line of scrimmage, but the offensive line of teams like Alabama and LSU proved to be too challenging.

McCray tallied 24 tackles along with 1.5 sacks for the Gators last year. Those numbers will definitely have to increase with Ronald Powell out.

Dante Fowler Jr.

Dante Fowler Jr. was a Florida State commit for much of the early part of the recruiting process. He then flipped to rival Florida because he felt he would get more playing time. 

He assumed correctly.

Fowler Jr. comes in as a highly-touted defensive lineman. He showed a speed rush that was lethal in high school and Gator fans are looking for him to develop into the next Carlos Dunlap or Derrick Harvey.

With playing time likely to come early and often, Fowler Jr. will have plenty of opportunities to quickly progress in his freshman year. For the Gators to remain elite defensively, he will have to capitalize on those opportunities.

Gideon Ajagbe

Ronald Powell was drawing praise from Will Muschamp and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, only to have a freak injury put his development on hold.

Gideon Ajagbe knows the feeling. 

A shoulder injury kept Ajagbe out of last season's action. He returns in 2012 and could very well be the Gator to fill in for Powell.

Listed as second on the depth chart behind Powell, a big season from Ajagbe will be just what the doctor ordered for the Florida Gators.

Jonathan Bullard

Jonathan Bullard is another highly-touted incoming freshman for the Florida Gators. At his high school in North Carolina, Bullard dominated around the edge. 

It will be interesting to see how Dante Fowler Jr. and Jonathan Bullard develop next to each other under Will Muschamp. They have similar styles of play and are pretty much the same size. 

Ronald Powell was immediately able to contribute in his freshman year. With him on the sidelines, another freshman may very well be called upon to step up. All signs point towards Bullard and Fowler Jr. being ready to answer the call.

Jeff Driskel

No, Muschamp has not lost his mind nor is he moving Jeff Driskel to the defense. The quarterback is still a quarterback and will likely be the starting one in the fall.

For much of 2011, the Florida Gators offense sputtered and relied on the defense to give them good field position. Without Ronald Powell in 2012, Jeff Driskel and the entire offense will have to step up (like they didn't need to already) and form some kind of cohesiveness.

An offense that can move the ball will relieve some of the pressure placed on a defense left without one of their best playmakers.