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GAINESVILLE — The Florida football team entered March with renewed hope, new faces and a new attitude.
The Gators expect sweeping changes to help produce different results following consecutive losing seasons.
After UF wrapped up its second week of his third spring, embattled coach Billy Napier said he sees immediate, impactful results of the changes to his coaching staff.
“One of the things that has become very evident is the new staff members are making an impact,” he said Saturday. “I got a ton of conviction about the new people that we’ve added to our team. I’ll tell you, it’s given me a little bit of energy.”
Three new assistant coaches, led by a familiar face for Napier, and an additional special teams analyst have elevated the intensity, improved the operation and added some tactical twists.
No newcomer has invigorated and tested his players like defensive line coach Gerald Chatman. The 36-year-old arrived from Tulane is a live wire with a booming voice and a relentless message not for the faint of heart.
“He told me he was going to coach me hard — that’s something I appreciate,” sophomore defensive lineman Kelby Collins. “Obviously you guys have heard him … loud. He just holds us to a higher standard than maybe we hold ourselves sometimes. He’s not going to let you slack or be lazy or play with bad technique.
“He’s a perfectionist.”
Collins, the top-rated player in UF’s 2023 class, said he’s learned techniques Chatman picked up during a wide-ranging career. This includes two seasons as a defensive assistant with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019-20 working with some top veterans, including Geno Atkins, Sam Hubbard, Carl Lawson and Carlos Dunlap, a former Gators standout.
New secondary coach Will Harris also arrived with enthusiasm and NFL experience, having served last season as…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/uf-billy-napier-praises-impact-225700872.html
Author : Orlando Sentinel
Publish date : 2024-03-23 22:57:00
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