GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- When the 2017 season ended, all eyes were on junior defensive end CeCe Jefferson. His career hadn't quite gone the way many expected through his first three years, but he was still in position to potentially enter the NFL Draft early.

When Jefferson first arrived at Florida out of high school, many assumed three years and out was a foregone conclusion for him.

Instead, Jefferson opted to return, an interesting decision given the fact that the Gators will be moving to a new defensive scheme for his senior year. However, that new scheme might be just what the doctor ordered for Jefferson's pro prospects.

"Obviously that was something that excited me for him to come back," defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said. "For us he'll be multiple in our defense, meaning he'll play outside linebacker and defensive end. At the end of the day he's an edge rusher is what he is."

Grantham has had a ton of success coaching guys like Jefferson. A 6-foot-1, 261-pound player, Jefferson isn't all that different size-wise than former Georgia edge rusher Jarvis Jones.

And Grantham certainly coaxed the most out of Jones, making him a consensus All-American in 2011 and 2012 and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2012.

For Jefferson, that same type of production is what the Gators are hoping to see.

"To me it's just about developing him and continue to develop his habits and his traits and fundamental skill set to allow him to continue to be successful," Grantham said. "He's a guy that we're obviously going to look to to be a leader for us. He's really embraced everything we've done from that standpoint to want to be a complete player. And what we're going do with him is just take it day by day and try to get a little bit better and try to work to let him be the best player he can be and be a dominant player on our team."

The decision ultimately didn't sound quite as tough as many might have expected.

Jefferson is what they'd call a 'tweener in NFL Draft circles; probably not tall enough to be a true hand-in-the-dirt defensive end, but without much experience actually playing as a stand-up linebacker and edge rusher.

Being able to show that he can play linebacker on tape next fall could be huge for his pro prospects.

"I mean it really gets down to players understanding what's best for them," Grantham said. "If it's best for them to leave and go to pro football then that's what they should do. If it's not then here are the reasons you need to come back. And you need to lay them out for them because it's going to be hard work but it's understanding that you really can develop yourself as a better player, fundamentally make yourself more ready for that league the following year, get closer towards your degree and come back and play for an SEC Championship and compete for that as a team and be around guys you've been around for the last three to four years of your life.

"So I think a combination of all of that stuff allows you to get excited and want to do that and come back so really it's more about all that stuff."

Defensive line coach Sal Sunseri is well aware what Jefferson can do, as well. Sunseri scouted and recruited Jefferson in stops at Alabama, Tennessee and Florida State.

He's excited to see what Jefferson can do in what he believes is a more natural role for him.

"I recruited CeCe and he had some good ability to get off that edge and rush the passer," Sunseri said. "I think like anything else, he has that ability. I think you’ve got to utilize him because of his size and be able to move him so the line can’t be slid to him."

Sunseri pointed out one obvious way Jefferson can improve moving forward.

"I think like anything else, CeCe has got to get better with his hands, using his hands and get the edges and not get in a fist-fight with the bigger guys and get around them, and use his quickness and use some people and run some games with ‘em and I think he can have tremendous success," Sunseri said.

"But the multiplicity of that comes on when you get into coach Grantham’s system (and) is only going to benefit CeCe. The smartest thing I’ve heard at the end of the conversation that you guys were asking Todd, it’s only going to benefit him being in this program. It’s only going to benefit him being part of this defense that we’re going to start running."

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