With spring practice in full effect and the annual Orange and Blue game just around the corner, everything this team does throughout the rest of spring camp will determine a lot for the Gators in 2024. For the young freshmen scattered across the defense, building the chemistry throughout the rest of spring practice will be just as important as anything else.
“I’m loving the young guys, loving the new addition to coaching,” redshirt junior Tyreak Sapp told the media. “I just feel like everybody’s kind of hungry and kind of was ready to like you know, push forward and take the next step. Take the next step from last year, and everybody’s kind of trying to push that edge and kind of understand each other.”
“We’re still building a chemistry because we got a whole bunch of new pieces and new faces,” Sapp added. “So, we’re still trying to build that chemistry during team ball. But I think that everybody’s intent in what we’re trying to do and trying to understand the scheme and put their best foot forward. So, I think it’s going to be a process from now until the fall, but I think we’re trending in the right direction, right, just from everyone wanting to do the right thing and trying to push forward.”
The Gators desperately missed redshirt junior Justus Boone last season after he suffered an unfortunate season-ending injury just weeks before the Gators kicked off against Utah. Now, the Gators will eventually return their edge-rusher that accounted for 27 tackles and 1.5 sacks in two seasons. The potential is there, and these players are ready to have him back on a defense that is looking to make a quick turnaround.
“Oh man, it’s tremendous,” Sapp said on getting Boone back in 2024. ” That’s a guy that’s close to me, so when we lost him last year that hurt me, that hurt me deeply, but I knew I had to go out there and do what I had to do for him but he’s gonna be one of those big additions. Me and him are kind of the same person. We came in together. Very high, intense guy, great effort guy and a guy that can wreak havoc and can be very, very dangerous for us. He’s working on his recovery right now. We’re still working on getting him back but when he does come back, there’s gonna be something … he’s going to have some great stuff to put on tape.”
The younger guys on the defensive line will have an opportunity to truly grow into leaders with some added responsibilities this upcoming season. Kelby Collins, TJ Searcy, Cam Banks and Kam James recorded a combined total of 72 total tackles, three sacks, and two forced fumbles in their first year as Gators. It’ll be interesting to see how Collins does on the inside as he has the speed and determination to dominate.
“Oh man, yeah, Kelby (Collins), TJ (Searcy), Cam (Banks), Kam James. Those guys I was working with last season, but they have made a jump this past offseason and what they have done and what they want to accomplish. So obviously Kelby having to move inside, he took that job. He took it with pride,” Sapp said on Collins. “He understood what it takes. He understood what it took to do it, but I think he’s applying everything that he needs to do in order to get better because it’s not gonna be perfect at first. So, it’s not gonna be pretty at first, but that’s fine. That’s okay. He puts his best foot forward every day and understands what it takes to be great.”
Recently hired defensive line coach Gerald Chatman is a coach that brings all the knowledge and energy that this young defensive line desperately needs in year three under Billy Napier. The details and fundamentals of every rep are important to Chatman, and with some more time, this defensive line should be getting to the quarterback a lot more in 2024.
“Crazy, crazy guy, but I like crazy. You got to be a little crazy to play this game, so you need that type of coach on the team,” Sapp said on Chatman. “You need somebody who’s kind of amped up, kind of gets the energy up because every day we come out here. You know, motivations are small pieces of life, so you got to be disciplined, but he comes with that fire every day. He fires everyone up. He’s a great coach. He’s very, very detailed, helps me out with my pass rush. Just gives me little keys and he’s one of the great additions just to the interior D-line, helping those guys take that next step into being better for this year. So, he’s just been a great addition.”
Tyreak Sapp is heading into his fourth season as a Florida Gator and has been through all the ups and downs. The biggest thing for Sapp as a redshirt junior is to be a good example while setting a high bar for these players to reach their full potential under this defense.
“Of course, my leadership role is big and I take that leadership role very seriously because I understand I am an example for the young guys and they are going to look at me as an example,” Sapp said. “I have to stay disciplined every day, all day, just kind of what I’m doing because I know they watch me, they watch my routine, they watch my tendencies. So, I’m just trying to set a great example for the young guys so that when it’s their time, when everyone knows them, when they have their moment, they will make the most of it.”
The experience this football team has gained in two seasons under Billy Napier will be a huge help for not just the veterans in the room, but the younger guys as well. Florida had roughly 20,000 snaps of experience in year one and year two. They enter year three with 41,000 snaps of experience, according to Napier.
“The experience is going to help us greatly not only solely because we are experienced now but it helps us bleed into the into the younger group and sort of fresh faces that may not be accustomed to the situations that we’ve been been in,” Sapp said. “So, it’s great that we’re able to talk them through certain things, help them understand certain things from a schematic standpoint, and also give them confidence. Let them know that we’re here for them and it’s okay to make mistakes. It’s okay as long as you’re 100 percent it’s okay to make mistakes. It’s okay if bad things happen. It’s all about how you respond to these things. So that’s one of the great things about it.”
The guidance throughout the rest of this spring is vital for this team’s success in the future. Mistakes will be made at times, but it’s all about how this team responds and progresses in the end. With help from both Gerald Chatman, Ron Roberts and Will Harris, this defense should feel more confident and comfortable in 2024.
The Gators are currently two weeks into spring practice and will look to keep prepping for their spring game that will kick off on April 13th at 1 p.m. ET.