2023 Preview Part 5: Top 10 for ‘23
Coach Kaleb Nobles is a lucky guy. Not many first year coaches get to take over ready made playoff teams with this much returning talent and a depth chart full future D2 stars. Add to that a ton of work done in recruiting and in the transfer portal, and the Argos’ roster may be one of the most talented, on paper, in school history. While there were some major losses from guys who made the first draft of this list, Shomari Mason and Anthony Johnson Jr. to be specific, UWF has no shortage of playmakers at pretty much every position on the roster. The ten guys here, in alphabetical order, have all proven themselves in Pensacola or previous playing stops and should make up the core group of starters the new coaching staff has to build off of.
MLB Will Breland
One of the biggest wins for the new coaching staff was keeping the Junior MLB in Pensacola. Breland lead the team in solo tackles (48), TFL (6), and turnovers (5). UWF’s leading tackler somehow didn’t make the all GSC team, but was named to the All-Super Region 2 team during last season’s playoff run. A two year contributor to the UWF defense, Breland and his partner Willie Jordan, are setup to be the heart of the 2022 defense.
LT Jacob Bruce
UWF is going through some OL flux, but Bruce should return to anchor the left side of the OL for his third consecutive season. The Gainesville native has been stellar over the past two seasons and will be one of the top OL in D2 football this fall. Bruce was one of three All-GSC OL for the Argos last year, a unit that lead the way for a program record 233.9 YPG on the ground and allowed a paltry 4 sacks during GSC play last season.
RB Jalen Bussey
The NDSU transfer is coming off a season where he only carried the ball 14 times for 53 yards, by far his least productive year as a Bison, so it may seem like an odd choice for the list among other deserving players. However, the Tampa native amassed 103 touches 920 yards and 10 TDs between 2019-2021 (20 games), including a 163 yard 2 TD performance vs Western Illinois in 2019 and 143 yards against EWU in the first round of the 2020/2021 FCS playoffs. UWF is looking to replace the explosive playmaking of Mason and 2022 running mate Ra’veion Hagrove, and Bussey, who finished his career with five carries 50 or more yards, should fit that role.
WR KJ Franklin
UWF looks to have a deep WR group once again this season, and I think Franklin may be one of the best of the bunch. After a four year starting career for Nichols State, the Super Senior is playing out his final season of eligibility for the Argonauts. He didn’t just play for the Colonels, he was a focal point of the passing attack, finishing his career in the top 10 for Nichols in receiving yards and receiving TDs, despite sharing most of his career with the top WR in school history.
QB Peewee Jarrett
After taking the reigns in 2022, Peewee is poised to be one of the best QBs in the conference in 2023. An impressive dual threat signal caller, Jarrett made teams pay through the air (33 TD) and on the ground (9 TD) in his debut season with the Argos. New HC Kaleb Nobles just might push Peewee to new heights, and the 2023 version of the offense is going to be his to command when he comes back from injury this fall.
MLB Willie Jordan
The second half of UWF’s dynamic linebacker duo returns after starting every game at WLB last season. Jordan brings back with him 89 tackles (2nd on the team) 4 TFL 1 INT and a team high 10 QB hurries, proving in 2022 that he can contribute in all three phases of the defense (run support, pass rush, coverage). He is poised to be a weapon for the new defensive staff after breaking out in his first year with the Argos, and he looked like he was taking advantage of the new scheme in the Spring practice clips.
WR Caden Leggett
Leggett has big shoes to fill with the loss of Senior David Durden, but he should be able to slide right into the WR1 role. Finishing second on the team in every receiving category last season (38-602-9), and with the connection he built with Peewee, the senior is going to be a big part of the start of the Kaleb Nobles era. The former Texas Tech Red Raider made 1st team All-GSC last fall, and looks to continue the tradition of excellent WR play in Blue and Green in 2023.
DL John McMullen
An ultra productive offseason transfer from Northern Michigan, McMullen might walk in the door as the best DL on the team. He has a bit of a positionless build, at 5’11” 225 he looks more like a LB than a DL, but was an undeniable force on the line over the last two seasons. He averaged 1.5 TFL per game in his final 22 appearances with the Wildcats and had 8 and 7 sacks in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, respectively. I’d peg McMullen as an instant high level starter for the Argos and among the best DL in the GSC.
Update: John McMullen is 6’0” 260, his height and weight were never updated at Northern Michigan.
DE Aidan Swett
Aidan Swett is the only returning starter in his unit and one of only four returning defensive starters. Swett is going to be playing a slightly different position then a year ago, with the alignment shift in the front he will be in a 5T and be in more one-on-one situations against opposing Tackles. The 2022 2nd Team All-GSC honoree looked good in the clips coming out of spring practice and should see a boost in his 28 tackles 3 TFL 0.5 sacks with the new scheme and assignment.
RB CJ Wilson
It seemed like Wilson was scoring every time he touched the ball in 2022, and that isn’t far from the truth. He hit pay dirt on average every seven carries (12 TD), and was able to put together a really nice season as the third back in UWF’s potent rushing attack last year. He is now going to get a chance to be the thunder to Shomari Mason’s lightning, and looks to improve on his 84 carries and 540 yards. His carries should go up quite a bit if Coach Nobles decides to protect Peewee’s legs throughout the season.
