Iverson Clement signed with the Florida Gators as running back in the the 2018 recruiting class. The Mount Holly (N.J.) Rancocas Valley Regional High product enrolled at UF a semester early, and went through spring drills as a running back.

The 5-foot-11, 200 pound Clement also opened fall camp earlier this month as a running back with the Gators. However, that changed on Wednesday as Clement practiced with Florida’s safeties as a rash of injuries hit the position group.

Safety Quincy Lenton is out for the season with a torn Achilles. Jeawon Taylor, , Shawn Davis, and most recently Christopher McWilliams have all battled different type of injuries in the defensive secondary as well, which made the position group extremely thin. Moving Clements over to defense helps shore up the depth a little at the safety position. However, head coach Dan Mullen does not see the move as being a permanent one.



"We're trying it because we've got a bunch of guys kind of banged up, and that's a place where we don't have a lot of depth," Mullen said. "Just great for him. I mean he's a running back still, but he's a great team guy just going to take some reps so we can get through all the reps we need at practice. I think it's really unselfish on his part to go over there and help the team out and fill in."

Clement is not new to playing defensive back. During his high school days, Clements lined up at cornerback and had some colleges preferring him on that side of the ball. 247Sports rated Clements as an athlete, instead of a running back, due to his versatility to play either side of the ball on the next level. He is now getting that shot.

Florida can afford to move Clement from the running back group, as that position is one of the deepest on the team. Jordan Scarlett is returned to action after being suspended for the entire 2017 season. In 2016, Scarlett rushed for 889 yards and six touchdowns, leading the Gators in both categories. In 2017, it was Lamical Perine that led the Gators in rushing with 562 yards and eight touchdowns. As a true freshman last fall, Malik Davis burst onto the scene tallying 526 rushing yards before a knee injury cut his 2017 season short. Davis is rehabbing back to form now. This fall camp, true freshman Dameon Pierce has received plenty of praise among the running back group, and the Georgia native looks to be working his way into the rotation. Those names make moving Clement to defense easier to handle for the Gators.