Week 2 Florida Gators Stock Report: Carter, Hill Up; Burney, Secondary Down

Florida once again came away with an SEC win this past weekend, beating their former head coach Will Muschamp and his South Carolina Gamecocks. Florida controlled the game from the jump, but for the second straight week, Florida's defense was shaky at best. 

The Gators got the job done behind a strong first half, as the Gators failed to score after the 4:44 mark of the third, thanks in part due to Muschamp's terrible clock management keeping the ball away. Florida won 38-24, failing to cover the spread of 16.5 points. 

With that in mind, let's explore whose stock rose and whose fell in Florida's second game of the 2020 season. 

Stock Up

Wide receiver Trent Whittemore 

Although Whittemore only had two catches, the redshirt freshman had a direct impact on the game, by extending a drive late in the first quarter and scoring midway through the third quarter. 

On his first catch, Whittemore somehow came down with a jump ball despite having the safety and a corner in his face, showing off his impressive vertical, control, and catch radius in a tight window. "White Chocolate", as he's called by members of the team, also found the endzone for his first time as a Florida Gator on a four-yard touchdown early in the third, thanks to a rub route set up by Justin Shorter. 

Defensive lineman Zachary Carter

You can't say enough about the play of Zachary Carter to start off 2020, as the redshirt junior has held down the trenches while playing out of his original position in Florida's defense. The Tampa-area phenom has moved all around the defensive line but has taken a majority of his snaps as a three-technique so far this season. 

In the passing game, Carter was creating pressure all day long, ending the day with eight tackles, 1.5 sacks, and quarterback four pressures according to Pro Football Focus. Carter's bull rush was on display multiple times, as the 6-foot-4, 290-pound defensive tackle consistently overpowered the South Carolina offensive lineman. 

For his efforts against the Gamecocks, Carter was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week. 

Cornerback Jaydon Hill

Sophomore Jaydon Hill has seen action throughout the early part of the 2020 season, as Hill has played outside and has found plenty of success. According to PFF, Hill has played 52 snaps at outside cornerback and not allowed a single yard throughout the first two games. He's arguably been Florida's best cornerback so far.

It is evident that Hill is comfortable in his coverage ability and his hands, as Hill tallied three pass deflections against the Gamecocks, including one on the second-to-last play of the game for South Carolina on a throw to dynamic receiver Shi Smith in the endzone, forcing a fourth down.

With Hill holding his own on the outside and now officially earning the starting role, the Gators are able to shift personnel to other needs such as STAR, where they have been experimenting once again with Marco Wilson. 

Stock Down

Linebacker Amari Burney

When playing at the University of Florida, expectations are very high. For Burney, many were amazed by his athleticism and ability to cover as a prospect, but those traits have been picked on throughout the early portion of the 2020 season. Burney hasn’t quite lived up to those expectations, and he admitted it on a media Zoom call on Monday.

Burney’s biggest blunder of the day was allowing a touchdown in the red zone, as he was lost in space while running back Kevin Harris scored on an inside angle route - Burney's responsibility. The junior linebacker is still getting used to his new position and it shows on the field, as he is not confident in exactly where he needs to be on every single play. Hopefully for Florida, Burney can put it all together soon enough, as the depth at the linebacker position remains inconsistent.

Secondary 

Although Hill and Kaiir Elam have both found some success in 2020, there is much concern with who the Gators have at safety and at the STAR position. Despite being a senior, Donovan Stiner is still struggling to find a true grasp of the game in coverage situations. 

Shawn Davis played very well in his first full game, but there is still plenty of slack to be picked up in the safety room and he can only do so much for the unit. Although he is back at his natural position, Trey Dean III has yet to make an impact beyond a few, albeit nice, downhill tackles, or see the field as much as expected.