After the scrimmage on Saturday, Napier spoke
The annual Orange and Blue game for Florida Football is less than a week away, and this past Saturday was the Gators’ second spring scrimmage of the year.
Following his remarks during a press conference, head coach Billy Napier made the following three observations behind the podium.
It’s Better to Attack
On Friday, we featured a viral video of Teddy Foster, a freshman, taking down Tre Wilson. Following their 2023 season as the poorest tackling team in the SEC, Florida appears to have refocused its emphasis on taking down opponents as of the conclusion of spring training.
Seeing snippets of footage from training is one thing, but witnessing actual performance on the field is quite another. But Napier believes that there has been real progress in team tackling that goes beyond what happens in front of the camera.
“The best task we have undertaken since coming here. And specifically in the secondary, I believe. That brings us back to the basics: the ball is declared, the DB is in position to make the tackle. The foundations are superior. Experience is superior. The depth (is superior) of the defence. I believe we have a potential to have a strong group over there if we can tackle like we did today, if we can make takeaways like we did today, and if we can play with that kind of energy.
In 2024, Florida Will Be Quicker
The general consensus of the Gators in 2023 is that, aside from Ricky Pearsall and Tre Wilson, the wide receiver group didn’t quite live up to the expectations of many supporters.
We have already mentioned the arrival of Tank Hawkins, a freshman who can run the 100 meters in 10.3 seconds, and the addition of Chimere Dike, Graham Mertz’s former colleague who can sprint the 40 yards in 4.4 seconds.
Florida’s receiver group should have a variety of quick options at receiver in 2024 if Aidan Mizell stays healthy.
“We’ve been intentional about adding speed to the roster, especially at receiver.”
Nothing wacky is in store for the spring game.
After the game, Florida is hosting a meet and greet with Florida Victorious, but Napier didn’t say anything unusual would happen when asked about how the teams will be chosen on Saturday.
Although he didn’t state it outright, it is reasonable to believe he will continue with the configuration he has employed in the past, in which one squad plays first team offence and the other first team defence. Similarly, the two units of the second team will diverge.
“In actuality, we split up the players based on availability to try to make the game as competitive as possible, and then we let the more experienced players on each team draft every position in the organization. We then split the organization in half and give each group some ownership by saying things like, “Hey, I want this guy to be my assistant head coach; he’s going to be my OC and DC.” To make it competitive, they choose their strongest staff members and divide the building in half. We then give the players some, and you can either win or lose, which I believe is healthy and enjoyable.”
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