Cornerback Ben Hanks III is one of the young players in Florida's secondary who has made significant strides since last season. (Photo: UAA file)
Gators Position Preview: Defensive Backs
Thursday, September 3, 2026 | Football
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By: Ryan Roddy, FloridaGators.com Student Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — In college football, recruiting pipelines matter.
It helps when a coach has worked in one, played professionally in one, and been born into one.
This is the case for Florida cornerbacks coach Brandon Harris.
A Miami native, Harris played collegiately at Miami and professionally in the NFL after being drafted by the Houston Texans and later signing with the Miami Dolphins.
He was a grad assistant at FIU in 2019, a defensive analyst for Florida State in 2020, and returned to FIU in 2021 to coach cornerbacks. From there, Harris was at FAU from 2022-2024, where he coached cornerbacks, was a co-defensive coordinator and later the interim defensive coordinator, and joined UCF last season as a defensive backs coach before joining Jon Sumrall's staff at Florida.
He has spent seven years as a college football coach, and he has not left the state of Florida. He is also the brother of former Gators QB Treon Harris.
"Brandon played the position at a high level, played in the NFL, was a high draft pick, great person," Sumrall said. "I went to South Florida with him to recruit in January. I mean, everybody knows him. Like, he could maybe run for mayor down there."
Meanwhile, Sumrall hired veteran assistant Chris Collins to coach the safeties. Collins spent the past five seasons as co-defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach at Kentucky, and helped develop Wildcats standout Maxwell Hairston, the highest-drafted defensive back in school history.
The additions of Harris and Collins, plus 11 newcomers to the secondary, leave a lot of unknowns heading into the season.
At first glance, the makeup of Florida's secondary room is quite symmetrical. Eleven players left, 11 players joined, and 12 players stayed. The two returning players who saw the most work last season are cornerback Cormani McClain and safety Bryce Thornton. After a year at Colorado, where McClain was one of Deion Sanders' first big-time recruits, the Lakeland native transferred to Florida in 2024. He saw limited action during his first season in the Orange & Blue before playing in 10 games and starting six last season. He finished the 2025 campaign with 18 tackles (10 solo), one tackle-for-loss, an interception and a pass breakup, posting the second-most snaps for a UF cornerback behind fourth-round draft pick Devin Moore. McClain will start the season as one of the starting corners, splitting time with J'Vari Flowers, who saw the third-most snaps at the position (17 tackles, four pass breakups and 0.5 TFLs).
The Gators could use Cormani McClain, No. 25, to make a big leap in 2026. (Photo: Lorenzo Vasquez/UAA Communications)
Thornton started in 11 games for the Gators last season. He began the season with a bang against LIU, scooping up and scoring a fumble for the first touchdown of the season. After leading the team with three interceptions in 2024, Thornton led the team in pass breakups (7) and fumble recoveries (2) and was second on the team in total tackles (56). One of the most experienced players on the defense, Thornton has 131 total tackles (69 solo), eight TFLs, 1.5 sacks, four interceptions, 14 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 33 career games. Across from Thornton at safety will be Baylor transfer DJ Coleman. Coleman, like Thornton, brings plenty of experience, including Big 12 reps. He played 35 games for the Bears, posting career highs across the board with 40 tackles (29 solo), four passes defended, one forced fumble and two interceptions a season ago. Coleman, McClain and Thornton were all named to the Shriners Children's East-West Bowl 1000 List (2026). Kentucky transfer Cam Dooley is projected to back up Thornton and returnee Lagonza Hayward.
Ben Hanks III is primed to start at the cornerback spot opposite McClain. Hanks played in three games last season, making his first collegiate start against Florida State in Week 12. He recorded eight tackles, two pass breakups and an interception on the season. ESPN listed him on its 2026 Breakout Sleeper List, but internal regard for Hanks is high. At STAR, Kanye Clark is atop the depth chart. A former UCLA walk-on, Clark earned a scholarship after his freshman year with the Bruins. The Sacramento native can also play multiple positions. Underneath Clark is Alfonzo Allen Jr.
If season started today: The starters and backups are in place with the release of Florida's two-deep depth chart. However, players not listed can still see the field and make an impact for UF in Year 1 under Sumrall with different defensive looks. The depth chart from Week 1 may look a lot different than Week 12.
Speculation: The potential is evident throughout Florida's secondary. McClain and Hanks bring significant upside at cornerback, while Thornton provides a veteran presence at safety and Coleman adds another experienced option. The question is whether a group with so many new faces can develop chemistry quickly enough to turn that individual talent into consistent production.
Quote of note: "Bryce (Thornton) is a guy that's just got so many reps under his belt in this league, which is huge. It's hard to imitate experience. Just being able to understand what it's like being in all these stadiums, being in those situations, being up in the third quarter, being down in the third quarter and everything in between. You can't have enough of it on the field. So having him as a really calming force, he's always sort of got a smile on his face. So, it's really easy. You don't ever feel like he's stressed. Which I think is a real comfort to our guys." — UF defensive coordinator Brad White
