Soon after Jay Bateman arrived at UF in January as the inside linebackers coach, he hit the film room to watch every play that the Gators’ inside linebackers had played in their college careers.
One major issue stood out to him, and it’s something that Gators fans have been complaining about for a couple of years, also – missed tackles.
While every coaching staff employs a slightly different scheme, the linebackers making tackles is one of the biggest keys to ensuring that the run defense operates smoothly. Miss a tackle, and an undersized defensive back is going to have to try to make a play against a running back with a head of steam. That’s never an ideal scenario.
Too often over the past couple of seasons, the linebackers have been in position to make plays but have missed the tackle, and the run defense has suffered because of it.
Fixing the tackling issues is a top priority for Bateman this spring.
“I think if you play linebacker in college football nowadays, you have to be an elite tackler, and the great thing is we actually practice in such a way that we’re able to work on that correction, which is unique,” Bateman said. “So, yeah, I think that’s the one thing that I’m hanging my hat on [that] we’ve got to get better at.
“If you want to have a good defense, you’ve got to tackle. Your linebackers are the primary tacklers, so they have to be elite at it, and I think that’s our challenge.”
Bateman inherited a nice blend of seasoned veterans and promising youngsters at the position. Ventrell Miller and Amari Burney have played in a combined 83 games in their careers and made a combined 310 tackles.
Scooby Williams, Derek Wingo and Diwun Black are all highly athletic and will be called on to provide depth this fall. Black in particular has generated some buzz with the way that he’s performed this spring.
“When I got here, everyone told me that I had one of the better rooms, and I think they’re right,” Bateman said. “I’m pretty, pretty excited about this group.
“[Miller and Burney have] played a lot of football. They’re fifth-year seniors. They understand. By the time the season starts, they’ll both be graduates of Florida. They’re obviously really bright kids. Coaching Amari Burney’s like coaching like a 30-year-old guy; he’s a dream to coach. So, I’m excited about those two guys.”
Getting Miller back should prove to be huge for the defense this season. After leading the team in tackles in 2020, he missed the final 11 games of 2021 after having surgery on his biceps.
Not only is Miller as consistent of a tackler as they come, but he’s also the leader of the defense. He has a high football IQ and is an excellent communicator.
Miller also works extremely hard and always gives maximum effort. With no true middle linebackers on the depth chart behind him last season, the quality of play decreased quite substantially after his injury.
“He’s an alpha male,” Bateman said. “Everyone told me that when I got here. The first time I met him, I realized it. His energy, the level he plays at, I think, affects everybody else.”
Miller hasn’t worn a non-contact jersey this spring. He appears to be healthy and good to go.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” Miller said. “I’m doing everything, so I’m feeling pretty good. The training staff has done an excellent job preparing me, getting me ready.”
Bateman said that Miller has leaned up a bit, which has allowed him to run a little faster. He’s expecting him to have a big year.
“I think he’s a really impressive kid,” he said. “I think he’ll have a chance to make a lot of money playing football. He’s just going to be a really good player.”
Because of a scheduling conflict with one of his classes, Miller has only been able to practice on Saturdays this spring, with the exception of last Thursday’s scrimmage.
Bateman said that because of Miller’s strong knowledge of the game, his lack of practice time hasn’t set him back at all. The coaches have gone over the defense with him in meetings and walkthroughs, and he’s picking things up quickly. His absence has actually been a blessing in some ways, as it’s allowed Bateman to get more reps for Wingo, Williams and Black.
“Ventrell is one of those kids who has played a lot of football, and football makes a lot of sense to him,” he said. “He can see it. Sometimes, I have to be careful in my meeting room because the conversation I have with him is very different from where the rest of the group is as far as knowledge base. When he’s out here, we’re better. He’s fine. If we played tomorrow, he’d be fine. He would know everything.”
Burney, meanwhile, has the experience, but he isn’t a proven commodity like Miller is. Burney has struggled with inconsistency throughout his career. He’ll break up a pass, record six or seven tackles and recover a fumble in one game and then take some bad angles in the running game and give up a touchdown pass in the next game.
He has all of the physical tools that you can ask for. He’s big (236 pounds), strong and comes from a defensive back background. That just hasn’t translated onto the field for him.
Burney has bounced all around the defense throughout his career. He played safety in 2018, nickelback/outside linebacker in 2019 and inside linebacker over the past two seasons. Bateman said that moving him around like that may have stunted his development. As soon as he started to get comfortable at one spot, the old staff moved him somewhere else and started the process all over again.
The hope is that he’ll be more comfortable in his third season as a full-time inside linebacker.
“He’s been moved around quite a bit, probably unfairly, and I think he’s a kid who has a lot of ability, and I think he’s a very calm, even-keeled guy, but, I think when the games come, he plays pretty good,” Bateman said. “When I got here, I watched him and I said, ‘This kid’s pretty good.’ I’ve been really impressed with him.”
Black is a similar type of player as Burney. He played both defensive back and linebacker in high school and junior college before working at outside linebacker at Florida in 2021. He obviously has the coverage skills that come with playing defensive back, and he’s also a good pass-rusher.
Bateman said that Black can play in the secondary if needed, but they’re committed to teaching him how to play inside linebacker. He’s made some big plays in practice, and Bateman believes that he’ll have a role this season.
“He’s got long arms,” he said. “I think he’s got a lot of skills. I think he’s a really, really good pass-rusher. So, I think there’s absolutely a role for him. I tell him every day, you’ve got to continue every day, every practice to increase what we feel comfortable with you doing and knowing. I think, as that happens, he’s going to play more.”
Williams and Wingo come from completely different athletic backgrounds than Black and Burney. They were both edge-rushers in high school who are still trying to get comfortable with playing in the middle, taking on offensive linemen in the running game and covering running backs and tight ends.
Bateman spoke highly of Wingo following Tuesday’s practice.
“Derek has been awesome,” he said. “I think he loves football and loves Florida. I feel like he’s probably putting some pressure on himself, but I think he’s doing it at a really high level right now. His situation is unique because I recruited him in high school, tried to. It’s a very different position that he played growing up. I think he’s just starting to feel comfortable back there, but he’s a stud of a kid.”
Inside linebacker appears to be one of the strongest positions on the team as the Gators enter the final days of spring practice. They’ve got experience, speed, coverage skills, pass-rushing ability and depth.
If they can get the tackling figured out, they’ve got a chance to be a special unit.
“I think we’ve got a room full of good players that can all play,” Bateman said. “So, I feel very comfortable with the depth. Obviously, you want to have every soldier in the fight. So, I think that’s our goal, to try to get all of them ready to battle, and I think they will. I think our room is going to be great.
“We’ve got a great freshman coming. Shemar James is really talented, and he’s been awesome with my conversations with him. So, I think that room can be a strength for sure.”