Princely Umanmielen Named East-West Shrine Bowl Defensive Breakout Player of the Week
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida Gators junior EDGE rusher Princely Umanmielen was announced as the East-West Shrine Bowl Defensive Breakout Player of the Week following the Gators contest against Vanderbilt in Week 6.
Over the course of the 2023 season, Umanmielen has totaled ten tackles, two sacks, and a team-leading eight quarterback hits and fifteen quarterback hurries. Four of those hurries came in a 38-14 win over Vanderbilt last Saturday.
Umanmielen is the highest-rated player on the Gators’ defense, according to Pro Football Focus. He also ranks fifth in the nation in pass rush grade.
Additionally, Umanmielen holds the highest overall Pro Football Focus grade of any Florida defender who has totaled more than 25 snaps this season: 81.5.
The junior looks to continue his impressive season as the Florida Gators travel to Columbia, South Carolina for a matchup with the South Carolina Gamecocks on October 14.
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Umanmielen and the Gators’ defense showing improvement
First-year defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong has made an instant impact. Florida has the 18th-best scoring defense in the country this season and the 11th-best passing defense. Most impressive, the Gators have the ninth-best third-down defense in the country after finishing 129th in 2022.
I think [Austin] Armstrong just really trust his players. Like, he really shows us that he trusts us. He’s not gonna go out there and rely on his scheme. He, you know, relies on the player. He tells us all the time, ‘Good players make good defenses,'” Umanmielen said of Armstrong. “So you know, when he’s calling plays, he’s calling plays based off the players he’s got and trying to do it to their strengths. He’s not calling plays relying on the scheme. You know, he really has a lot of trust in us. And he shows that in his play-calling.”
One area the Gators can improve in is sacks and tackles for a loss. Florida ranks 13th in the SEC in both categories. South Carolina has allowed 22 sacks already this season, so it’s an opportunity for Umanmielen and the Gators to get after the quarterback.
