The Florida Gators are through three fall camp practices and will return to the practice field tomorrow after having Saturday off. Head Coach Billy Napier met with the media this afternoon to discuss the depth on Florida’s roster.
Opening Statement
“Okay guys, competition is heating up. I think we anticipated this training camp being extremely competitive at all positions, and I think after three days that is definitely true. So, the competition, roles on this team, has been intense for three days and it will continue to be this way, so. We’ve worked hard to build this roster, we have more competitive depth, and I think that’s proven to be true on offense, defense and special teams. We had a really good speaker here yesterday, you guys know Shep, Shep Inspires. Ton of respect for him as a person, his message, what he’s about, and he’s talented. He’s well-prepared, and I think he talked a little bit yesterday about how football reflects life to some degree, and you need covenant, right, you need three things that have a covenant. You need bond, you need pledge and you need commitment, and I think one of the things we’ve been emphasizing throughout training camp is that bond, that connection, that chemistry, that morale. New rules for training camp this year, right, so no phones at the training table, no phones in the recovery area, and that’s been pretty cool to see, these guys interact with each other. So, being intentional, put that phone down and have an opportunity to spend some meaningful time together, connect and listen to each other, and obviously these guys are staying in Tolbert Hall, so. It’s good, this group is definitely working in that regard, I respect that about them. It’s been a good three days, you know, we practiced in spiders for two days, shells last night, and then we’re off today, we’ll be back at it tomorrow.”
On DJ Lagway’s growth…
“Just overall comfort level in the system I would say. Yeah, I had a conversation with him the other day coming off after practice one, and you say, I know that wasn’t perfect, the practice day is never perfect, but just think about where you’re at now compared to where you were at you know after spring number one. And I think all of the things that we do with the quarterback throughout the summer. There’s two 4D Gator lesson plans each week. They get them on Monday, they got to turn them in on Friday. The padding that the quarterback is required to do all throughout the summer. You know, he just jumped into that for the first time and I think he made tremendous growth, his knowledge of defense, yeah, and I think he’s improved fundamentally, too. I think the ball’s coming out more consistently, his feet have been polished up. He’s getting better.”
On Lagway being a gamer…
“Well, he’s still young and he’s taking reps with the second group of offensive players, which is a mixture of players. I’ve said many times I think sometimes the quarterback is dependent on the others around them to play well and then defensively you’re always a little bit ahead in the beginning ‘cause it requires you to have to be very precise on offense and all 11 players to do what they’re supposed to do. But, yeah, I think overall I would say that, as a whole, we need to make improvement in that area. Typically after three days, that’s what we’re talking about: precision on offense, detail, all 11 players been able to do their job, great communication with the right fundamentals, and then when you get a chance to make a play, you go execute and make a play.”
On Elijhah Badger…
“He’s a part of a receiver group that is extremely competitive. I think we have, after some of those guys that have played a lot of football – Tre, Chim, Kahleil – then you kind of get into the next tier of player and all those guys are doing great. And that’s one of the positions on our team where some of the roles are to be determined. But I do think that Badger has made progress and it showed up I think yesterday is where I was like, ‘OK, I can kind of see … he is explosive, he is athletic, he can run after the catch. He has a vertical threat to his game. And he’s got play strength and he’s got length; he’s a 6-1 guy but he’s got great, great length. So yeah, I like the look in his eyes. He’s not scared to work. He’s got a smile on his face. He told me last night – I could tell he was getting comfortable, you know, made a few plays – and he said, ‘Man, the humidity is different. He said, I’m used to that sun, but I’m not used to that humidity. So he said, Hey, look, this practice is a lot more intense and a lot faster maybe than the ones I’ve been a part of in the past.”
On what have you seen from your line of scrimmage play…
“Yeah, we got depth at those positions. I think we’ve got a good three-deep, maybe more. Big and long, and I think the weight room work is showing up. But all those guys are doing a good job. It was pretty violent out there last night, let’s put it that way. So I think that we’re getting better on the edges, too. The inside players … we got a chance to be pretty good up front. We’ve got some work to do there. But defensively, I thought last night they got after pretty good.”
On Fletcher Westphal being in a non-contact jersey at practice…
“It’s a general illness, he’s got mono. So he’ll be out a little bit late. We anticipate getting him back here pretty soon.”
On Joey Slackman…
“I’m a Joey Slackman guy. Look, I think Joey brings a maturity and an awareness. I think he’s extremely bright. And he’s motivated, he’s driven, he’s a self starter and he’s an alpha. I think he does a great job, he brings other things besides being a 6-3, 315-pound athlete to the table. This is his sixth year of college athletics. He told me yesterday, this is his fourth year in football, I did two years of wrestling. But yeah, he brings it. He’s consistent. His motor’s always running and I think he has the ability to affect other people. That’s one of the reasons we brought him here. And look, I think our players one of the things we did in this cycle, if you go back to the beginning, throughout the portal process is we included our current team in those evaluations. I think that that worked. I think that our players had conviction about adding him to the team. And ultimately, he’s done a good job.”
On a good Joey Slackman story…
“Well, let’s put it this way. Last night, so I got a little training camp ritual, I get in the cold tub after practice, right? So I go in here, and Joey, he did a cannonball into the cold plunge. That’s what we’re dealing with.”
On keeping the locker room clean...
“Yeah, I think it’s just our effort to teach a sense of responsibility, you know, to have some self-discipline and take care of your stuff, to appreciate what you have, to build in some gratitude. We’re trying to combat entitlement, and then we’re forcing the player to make a decision every day. Am I gonna do what’s right? Am I gonna do what’s asked of me, and the more times a player and a group of players says yes to that, like, ‘OK, I’m in.’ We’ve all done it before, right? You know, my wife, she wants me to make the bed before I leave the house. Will the guy leave his space the way it should be left? And I think if we can get him to make that decision and there’s accountability there and the players take ownership of that. I think Tyler’s done a really good job of taking ownership of that throughout the offseason, throughout the summer when maybe we’re not around, but again, it goes back to what I’ve talked a lot about. This team, we’ve got some credible leadership at the player level that actually can get some things done. And they’ve made that a priority. So I think overall, we’re trying to … You know, one day you’re gonna have a family and you’re gonna buy your teenager a car and hopefully these guys are teaching their son, ‘Hey, you take care of your stuff.’ Hopefully that carries over.”
On new JUCO D-lineman Tarvorise Brown…
“He’s 6-foot-6.75, he’s 290 pounds. He played Edge in high school, right? So he was 230. Yeah, just a big athletic guy. He’s got some unique traits, right? And I think he kind of fell in our lap to some degree. We were recruiting for January and then found out he was a qualifier and then it just ended up working out. So far so good. I think the reps he’s taken, he’s proved to have all the functional movement, the power, the length. He’s a good athlete. I think it’s got a chance. He has four (years) to play four, you know, and I think he’ll prove to be a good evaluation.
On how important is it for leadership to aid Tarvorise Brown…
“Just overall I would tell you that as an organization, kind of onboarding him, we’ve talked specifically about that because it’s unique. We’re ramping him up, right? It’s a whole orientation process to kind of get him up to speed. We’ve got a lot to teach and he’s got a lot to learn, but he’s got a great attitude, he’s got a great story. He’s really turned his life around. I’m excited about him.”
On Caleb Banks…
“Caleb was one of those players that we played last year that really had no experience. I can still remember him in the exit meeting, Banks was like ‘coach man, we were out there in Utah, I’m shaking like a leaf.’ He had never played in a college game really. I think he played 59 plays at Louisville, was a covid recruit, and then we had a common relationship when he got into the portal. He got significant experience last year, think he played around 300 plus plays, was banged up a little bit at times in the second half of the season. He’s on a mission. This guy’s got traits, he’s 6’5 and three quarters, 320, and he’s learning a lot. First time ever playing college football last year, goes into the offseason, has a chance to kind of prepare now, knowing what it’s like out there. He’s had a good offseason. Just continuing to mature, continuing to be consistent, his work ethic, his practice habits, his mental toughness, because he’s certainly very talented. At this level, everybody’s got talent, everybody’s got work ethic, it’s more about the intangibles, right? How we can get better at getting better, and then the intangible parts of the team, and that’s the focus with him.”
On how attention to detail translates to the field with penalties, mental errors, etc…
“I think ultimately we try to get consumed at being the best we can be. I’m a firm believer that a player that lacks character, at some point , he’s going to let you down. My history in coaching will tell me that. And the more we can kind of create that throughout the offseason, I think there’s a chance that it’ll carry over. It’s why we do what we do, but we got to go do it. We got to go do the football part. Look, ability gets you so far. Everybody’s working hard at this point. Then it becomes about the intangibles of your team and the execution part. We’re working on the football piece now, and that’s what we’re trying to get done.”
On if Graham Mertz has looked as expected to start camp…
“Graham’s great. He’s phenomenal. He’s just got great energy about himself, affects other people in a positive way. Extremely detailed. Great note-taker. Great in the unit meetings. Great in the position meetings, and he’s a pro. I think offense usually takes a little while to get in some rhythm. We got to kind of get the install down, and get the finer details all around him. Protect him, get open for him, and then be on the same page and try to stay on schedule. But yeah, Graham Mertz is doing a great job leading the team.”
On your message about the schedule to the team…
“Yeah, it’s a healthy thing. I think it’s good for our team in terms of like, everybody’s talking about that part of the year. Maybe it causes them to do a little bit extra. Maybe it causes him to be a little more focused, a little more detailed. You’re planning and preparing and working hard to prepare for a great challenge. Our ability to do that week in and week out, this team has been really close, and we have some experience in that locker room. We’re not just talking about all these teams that were ranked or are ranked. We’ve been on the grass with them before. And I think we’ve got an understanding on where the gap is at and what we need to do to make up that gap. Right now, we’re focused on Florida, and we got to controls what we can control, eliminate, minimize our error. It’s kind of like sharpening the axe to get ready to go chop down that tree. Sharpen that axe, which we can.”