Report: Gators To Be Without Key Defenders, Campbell, Miller vs. Oklahoma

According to a report from Yahoo Sports! reporter Pete Thamel, the No. 7 Florida Gators will be significantly shorthanded on defense against the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners in the Cotton Bowl today due to injuries and opt-outs.

Thamel states the team will be without linebacker Ventrell Miller, who led the team in tackles this season, while also missing defensive lineman Kyree Campbell. The team is already without starting cornerback Marco Wilson, who has opted out and declared for the 2021 NFL Draft.

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Miller, a redshirt junior, was the leader among the Florida defense this year, accounting for 86 tackles (52 solos), 7.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks. He had become one of the team’s best players and was a key part of the front seven in defending the run in 2020.

During the season, Gators defensive coordinator Todd Grantham spoke highly of Miller several times, including at the start of this month shortly prior to the team’s matchup against LSU at the end of the regular season.

“I think that Ventrell’s a great example for young players in general, meaning if you go back and look at where he was, say when we first got here and the amount of snaps he was playing he was a guy that wasn’t going to run away from work,” said Grantham.

“And he developed himself into the player he is now. The player he is now is he’s the leader of our defense, he has a lot of respect from all the players on the team – offensively and defensively – because of one, the way he works and two, the way he plays on the field.”

Grantham would go on, speaking highly of the defender’s leadership attributes, noting that Miller could send a message while the coaches aren’t around, and calling him the “catalyst of the team.” The Gators will miss Miller’s presence on defense against a potent Oklahoma offense today.

As for Campbell, the senior defensive lineman will also not be suiting up today. Campbell missed three games to begin the season while playing in the remaining eight games, accounting for 24 tackles (3 solos), 2.5 tackles-for-loss and 1.5 sacks this season. In his career, Campbell has tallied 112 tackles (31 solos), 11.5 TFL and five sacks.

Earlier in the year, Gators defensive coordinator Todd Grantham spoke highly of the defensive tackle, noting his importance to the defense this season.

“I think No. 1 the impact, if you were to look at statistically games played with him and games played without him, it would be a substantial difference,” Grantham said of Campbell in November.

“In everything, not only the runs but third-down efficiency, and that kind of goes back to the runs because you have to do third-and-long and that kind of deal. Also, the attitude can be contagious, meaning that type of competitive fire, that relentless desire to be a really physical player can rub off on people.”

For now, the Gators will have to turn to several young players, and “supporting role” personnel to make up for the losses the team will take due to opt-outs and injuries.