The eighth in a position-by-position look at the 2026 Gators leading up to fall camp:
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TODAY: LINEBACKERS
What to expect
Florida could field its best set of linebackers in a decade, when future first-round NFL draft pick Jarrad Davis roamed the middle.
Juniors Myles Graham and Aaron Chiles, along with senior Jaden Robinson present a formidable challenge for opposing attacks. They combined for 178 tackles, including 13.5 for loss, along with 13 hurries.
Playing in new defensive coordinator Brad White’s aggressive scheme, the trio is likley to post the kind of numbers Davis and Antonio Morrison did in 2015, when combining for 200 tackles, or Davis and Alex Anzalone did when wreaking havoc in 2016.
The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Graham is the leader on the stat sheet (76 stops, seven for loss, seven hurries) and the field, where he signals the defense and sets the tone with physicality and instincts.
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The 6-foot-3, 239-pound Chiles (52 tackles) is a physical specimen and versatile defender able to rush or cover running backs and tight ends. The 6-foot, 227-pound Robinson (50 tackles, three pass breakups, four hurries) is active, dependable and rarely out of position.
Myles Johnson and Ty Jackson are two promising second-year players ready to take the next step. The 6-foot-1, 239-pound Johnson has elite speed, running the 100 meters in 10.7 seconds while at T.R. Miller in Brewton, Alabama. At Seminole Ridge in Loxahatchee, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Jackson combined for 166 tackles as in 2023-24 while also playing receiver and returning kicks.
Incoming freshman Malik Morris of Lakeland hopes to follow in the footsteps of Ventrell Miller, a local star who in 2022 was the last Florida linebacker standout before the current crop emerged last season.
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Returners
Aaron Chiles, junior
Myles Graham, junior
Evan Jackson, redshirt sophomore
Ty Jackson, sophomore
Myles Johnson, sophomore
Matthew Kade, redshirt sophomore
Dylan Leighton, redshirt freshman
Jaden Robinson, senior
Departures
Grayson “Pup” Howard (transfer to USF): four tackles
Arrivals
TJ Bullard (transfer UCF)
Previous
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive line
Interior defensive line
Edge rushers
Edgar Thompson can be reached at [email protected]