Redshirt junior cornerback Jalen Kimber spent most of his first year in the Swamp with a cast over his left hand.
Kimber broke his hand just before the 2022 season started and opted to play with it wrapped up rather than sit on the sidelines. Quite literally playing the season one-handed, the Georgia transfer notched an interception against USF and scored — the first time any Gator had done so in four seasons.
Now, Kimber has full use of his arms and hands once again, but he’s likely to start the season behind junior Jason Marshall Jr. and sophomore Devin Moore at corner. At least, that’s what the early projections suggested.
During Florida’s Thursday scrimmage, neither Marshall nor Moore were on the field taking first-team reps. Instead, it was Kimber, who impressed coaches with a more physical game than he’d shown before.
“Jalen’s been steady,” Napier said on Friday. “Jalen’s done a good job keeping the ball in front of him. He’s more physical. I think he did a good job this offseason.
If you go back to his history, coming in with the shoulder (injury). You know, that kind of set him back the first offseason. This was really his first offseason. He gained significant lean mass. So, we’re very pleased with Kimber.”
Earlier in training camp, Kimber mentioned that his injury helped give him some perspective and allowed him to work on the mental aspect of the game.
“Coming off a shoulder injury and having back-to-back injuries, I really learned how to be in tune with myself,” Kimber said. “Making sure I have positive thoughts because negative thoughts can really take over your mind, especially having back-to-back injuries. Trying to have a positive mindset was really the main thing for me.”
With good health and a strong mindset, all Kimber needs is the opportunity. As a college football veteran, he should get the opportunity. It takes more than two corners to finish a football game, so Kimber will be on the field regularly and could threaten to take over a starting spot at some point.
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