How Florida’s Ton Stunt Makes the Tite Front More Effective

The Tite front has exploded in popularity over the past decade at every level of football. Chances are, you either use it yourself or see it frequently on film. It’s often deployed to combat inside zone, the most common interior run in offenses across the country. (Though, yes, outside zone is making a strong case these days.)

But the Tite front alone won’t shut down inside zone, or any run scheme, without sound execution. The key is adding movement: stems, stunts, creepers, and pressures. One thing Florida does particularly well is a stunt I call the “Ton” stunt, designed to attack the side of the running back.

In this article, we’ll break down how UF uses their “Ton” stunt as a change-up to disrupt flow and force abrupt cutbacks, creating negative plays for the offense.

The “Ton” Stunt

So, what exactly is the “Ton” stunt? It starts with the 4i technique attacking aggressively toward the guard, working to “take the face.” This means if the 4i gets the guard’s face, he’ll cross it; if he gets the guard’s backside, he’ll come tight off it. This technique allows the 4i to quickly close the backside A-gap, and at times, even the frontside A-gap, forcing the running back to make an immediate cutback. That cutback leads him straight into the waiting arms of the wrapping Nose.

Key Teaching Point

A critical coaching point: the Nose must stay square, get hands on the center, and patiently work over the top. Young players often make the mistake of stunting too aggressively, either taking themselves out of the play or getting caught in the wash.

Example 1: Ton vs. Pin & Pull

In this first example, Florida runs the “Ton” stunt against Tennessee’s Pin & Pull. The 4i slants hard, making it impossible for the offensive tackle to scoop him, which creates immediate backfield disruption. This forces the running back to cut back right into traffic, resulting in a tackle for loss.

Florida’s Nose, who’s a big boy, doesn’t always finish the play, but he’s in prime position to make a TFL. Plus, with all the chaos up front, the safety is able to flow downhill cleanly and finish the job.

Example 2: Ton vs. Split Zone

Here’s a great look at the “Ton” stunt against split zone. The running back wants to cut it back, but he’s forced to press frontside with two free hitters waiting. Once again, the safety is able to trigger downhill and make the play after the run bounces outside due to the disruption up front.

Example 3: Ton vs. Wham

In this example, Florida runs the “Ton” stunt against a Wham variation from Tennessee. Even though the second wham block gets a piece of the 4i, he creates just enough penetration to force the running back to stumble.

Keep an eye on the center as he completely whiffs on the Nose and falls, leaving the backside linebacker as a free hitter. This version of Wham is designed to hit left or right off the center’s backside, but the stunting 4i disrupts the path, forcing another cutback right into the free hitter.

Example 4: Ton vs. Midline

Tennessee is known for its creative ways to attack defensive fronts, and one effective answer is using midline to read the 4i instead of blocking him. In this example, Tennessee midlines the 4i, and the wrapping Nose doesn’t track the ball well, resulting in a positive gain for the offense.

Could the Nose have made the play? Sure. But sometimes you’ve got to tip your cap to the offense for finding a creative way to counter your front. At the end of the day, if the offense has to dig into page 3 or 4 of the playbook to attack you, you’re doing something right.

Example 5: Ton vs. Q Counter Bash

In this example, Florida runs the “Ton” stunt against a Q Counter Bash look. The stunt works as designed, the 4i closes the A-gaps while the Nose loops around, forcing the quarterback to nearly run right into him.

While a more athletic Nose might’ve finished the play, the stunt still disrupts the timing and forces the QB to bounce it outside into multiple free hitters. Notice how neither linebacker gets touched by an offensive lineman, a clear sign that the defensive line created plenty of problems up front.

Example 6: Ton vs. Same-Side Dart

Here, Florida runs the “Ton” stunt against same-side Dart. The 4i immediately creates disruption, forcing a cutback, while the play-side 9-tech collapses down for an easy tackle.

What stands out is how clean the second-level defenders stay. The only defenders who get blocked are the interior three, as the interior stunt causes confusion among the offensive linemen, so much so that they’re tripping over each other. The linebackers and overhangs are untouched, thanks to the chaos created up front.

Example 7: Ton vs. G/T Counter

Kentucky tries to attack Florida’s Tite front with G/T Counter, but the “Ton” stunt causes problems again. The stunt prevents Kentucky from climbing to the backside linebacker, leaving him free to scrape over the top and make the tackle.

While the stunt is typically designed to force a cutback, against counter it works differently, keeping the backside linebacker clean, which leads to a successful stop for the Gators.

Example 8: Ton vs. Inside Zone

This is exactly what the “Ton” stunt is designed to do, make inside zone a nightmare for the offense. The 4i fires off and gets great penetration, forcing an immediate cutback right into the looping Nose for a tackle for loss.

This is teach tape for how the stunt should look, disruption up front, force the cutback into a defender, and make a tackle for a minimal gain. It’s the ideal scenario for any defense calling this stunt.

Conclusion

Offenses have seen enough of the Tite front by now that a static 4i-0-4i look isn’t as effective as it once was, especially if you don’t have extraordinary players. However, by incorporating stems, pressures, and, as shown here, defensive line stunts, you can keep offenses off balance and create favorable matchups for your defense.

In the examples above, you saw multiple instances where linebackers stayed clean and unblocked because of the confusion created up front. If we can get free-hitting linebackers several times throughout a game, I like our chances of having a great night.

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