The Florida Gators hired three defensive assistant coaches in the offseason including Washington LB coach Robert Bala. Florida defensive coordinator and play caller Ron Roberts played a large role in Bala’s hiring as the two have a history together, despite never working on the same staff.
“Coach Roberts was a big part of it,” Bala said on coming to UF. “A lot of football that I’ve gathered, knowledge wise, has been from him and his tree, and we’ve talked quite a bit over the years. The opportunity came up and I ran to it. Obviously coach Napier, a lot of people in my circle have coached for him, and everybody’s told great things about it, guys that I truly trust, so I knew it was going to be the best decision I could make.”
Roberts and Bala met at a coaches’ clinic years back and have kept in touch ever since. The hiring of Bala allows Roberts some freedom within Florida’s defense, overseeing the entire unit much like he did in the second half of last season.
“I’m sure it’s a different role for him, I’m sure there was some getting used to it for him,” Bala said on Roberts overseeing the defense. “But I come to work every single day to make sure that I’m doing everything I can to make it right in coach Roberts’ eyes. He’s a great tool to have to fill in the cracks of ‘hey, one way might be a better way to do it’. He’s a guy that wants to learn. A big reason why we had a relationship was we got together at these clinics and roundtables; we grew really close because of our love for football. So that transition has been fantastic. To be able to use him as a springboard, whether to call a defense in the future, to linebacker technique or fundamentals, I feel like I got a cheat code every single day.”
It’s not just Roberts that Bala had a strong relationship with prior to joining Florida’s staff. The Gators hired Vinnie Sunseri as their co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach, who worked on Washington’s staff with Bala in 2024. Sunseri also played at Alabama in 2023 when Napier served as the Crimson Tide’s wide receivers coach.
“Working with Vinnie for a year at Washington was amazing. He’s a guy that works his butt off, wants to learn, wants to get better every single day. He’s a great coach; he’s an even better person. I’ll trust that guy with my life,” Bala said on Sunseri.
After Will Harris’ departure to the Miami Hurricanes, Florida hired former Arkansas defensive backs coach Deron Wilson in a similar role. Wilson took the defensive coordinator job at Georgia State before deciding to come back to Gainesville.
“Deron Wilson is a guy that I’ve been talking to over the years, similar circles, a true ball guy, a guy that has all the qualities that Vinnie has, really patient, really understands the game. I was really excited for him when he got his defensive coordinator opportunity. Selfishly, I was even more excited when we decided to work together,” Bala said on Wilson.
There’s a lot of carryover regarding defensive concepts with these three hires, a theme within Napier’s hiring process over the years. The goal is to establish a sense of continuity as the Gators look to build on a promising finish in 2024.
“The two have been amazing (Sunseri and Wilson), and then obviously coach Roberts, coach Chad, and Mike P have done a great job of accepting us,” Bala said. “Because of the familiarity with the system, we kind of hit the ground running. I think there’s a lot of good ball conversations in the staff room.”