Florida Gators Spring Football: Napier believes Gators can make a significant jump on defense

Billy Napier post scrimmage number to Spring football 2024

It is April and as any Southeastern Conference football fan who’s been around the block a few times knows, hope springs eternally this time of the year. It’s easy to be an optimist when it is your team going against your team every practice until the annual dog and pony show for the alumni that signals check back in sometime around late August.

Everything we’re hearing from the Florida camp is improvement, whether it’s on the offensive side of the ball that has infused more speed on the outside with more size and strength on the line to the defense, which gutted last season’s coaching staff, brought in talent at all three levels from the portal and has more experience than either of the past two seasons.

If you go strictly by the opticals, this has the look of a Southeastern Conference roster. Finally. The first 22 certainly look the part and so do the next 22 and much of the 22 beyond that. Sure, some of those younger guys need a year on campus for their bodies to either fill out or exchange a bit of baby fat for lean muscle, but the overall look is that the Gators will resemble grown men on the field.

When he speaks about what he is seeing this spring, Billy Napier sounds confident. Not cocky, mind you. Confident.

Some of the confidence has to do with no significant injuries, always a concern this time of year. Some of it has to do with having more experienced players than in either of the previous two seasons. He has a second-year starter at quarterback in Graham Mertz, a pair of transfer tackles (Devon Manuel and Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson) who have size, length and experience and enough speed at wide receiver to go vertical every single play.

On the other side of the ball, which had an impressive Saturday scrimmage, there is a combination of three new coaches, experienced transfers at all three levels of the defense and more depth. It is enough to make Napier believe the Gators have a chance to make a significant defensive jump in the fall.   

“That and just experience, and we don't have issues with this team,” Napier answered Saturday afternoon when asked if the changes are turning him into a believer. “They do what they're supposed to do. We’re able to focus on what's important. They provide the effort, the energy, the work ethic, the accountability. Ultimately, we've got incredible leadership, and you pair that with some new faces, new voices, new leadership, a little bit different philosophy here and there, this group encourages each other.

“This group will confront things that are out of place. They hold each other accountable and they get along with each other. They can be cutthroat competitive out there and then practice is over and we’re a team and let's go let's continue to work hard to improve and get better. I think ultimately it's what the game's about and I think we're finally in that place.”

Now, if they can only make tackles. If there is a recurring theme with the defensive units the past two seasons it is missed tackles. They don’t make it an official stat, but if they did Florida might have led the nation both in 2022 and 2023.

Tackling has been an emphasis this spring, particularly on the back end of the secondary where the Gators brought in DJ Douglas from Tulane, Asa Turner from Washington and Trikweze Bridges from Oregon to shore up that area.

“The best we've tackled since we've been here, and I think in particular in the secondary,” Napier said. “Look, that goes back to the fundamentals are cleaner, the ball declares, the DB’s in a position to make the tackle. The fundamentals are better. Experience is better. The defense's depth [is better]. If we can tackle like we did today, if we can create takeaways like we did today, we can play with that type of energy, I think we’ve got a chance to have a good group over there.”

On both sides of the ball, the transfers are having an impact. Offensively, wide receiver Chimere Dike (from Wisconsin) has settled in as a starter and a potential go-to guy for Mertz. Transfer tackles Devon Manuel (from Arkansas) and Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson (from San Diego State) have solidified the offensive line.

On defense, coaches have spoken very highly of Joey Slackman, the Defensive Player of the Year from Ivy League Penn. Grayson (Pup) Howard, who came in from South Carolina has the kind of size and physicality it takes at inside linebackers. Tulane insiders believe Douglas (54 tackles, 3 interceptions in 2023) was a huge loss to their defense.

The early analysis on Douglas in the Florida secondary is he is a significant upgrade.

“I think DJ is again, he kind of fits what we were just talking about,” Napier said. “He’s a very productive player, he’s got traits, there was a connection there, and certainly he’s done a nice job. I think what I appreciate about DJ is the consistency. We know what we’re going to get every day. He’s got great practice habits, he’s an effort player, he’s done a really good job of picking up the system. We’re just halfway through the cycle here, and I think that’s the thing to kind of remind ourselves here is look, we’ve got our reload period and then we got our summer offseason and then training camp. He’s off to a good start and certainly I think he will prove that he was a good take.”

The Gators tried to recruit Howard out of Andrew Jackson in Jacksonville, but he signed with South Carolina. As a true freshman at South Carolina, he worked his way into the rotation where he was in on 19 tackles, but after one year in Columbia he was ready to transfer back to his home state.

Familiarity had everything with getting him to the University of Florida.

“Ultimately we were just a new staff, we were behind in the relationship part upon arrival. I think that he’s the type of kid where I think that’s important to him. There’s a loyalty component there. I think ultimately he’s a Florida kid … there was a special space. He liked the University of Florida. I think it just ultimately came down to the relationship piece. And I think sometimes things don’t go the way you think they’re going to go, right? When he did enter the portal we certainly had a great respect for him. We evaluated him as a player. He’s back, right? I think that ultimately it’s a good thing. I think he’s had a good experience and we’re excited about him for sure.”

At 6-4, 241, Howard looks the grown man part and so far during the spring he’s played like a grown man. Injuries have allowed him extra reps, which will definitely pay off when the Gators reconvene in August to begin preparations for the season opener with Miami.

“He's extremely bright, he's got character, he's smart, he can communicate, he's really done a nice job of picking up the system,” Napier said. At that position, you got to communicate and you got to do that with confidence and I think you got to be decisive. I think he's done a good job doing that. Now, he's got height, length, he certainly looks the part. He's still a somewhat inexperienced player but I do think he's a mature young man, good family and he's taken advantage of the reps. I think with Shemar and Wingo out and then that room's been banged up at times, so yeah, he's done a good job. I think the other players around him benefit from his communication. Last week he had some production in the scrimmage. It's been a good spring, good offseason for him."

For the Gators to have success in the fall, transfers will have to play a very large role. What two years of working the portal have taught Napier is the portal can fill several gaps if the right decisions are made.

“I think what I’ve learned and I think our personnel department as a whole, the philosophy here is we’re looking for traits, we’re looking for production, but I think this cycle we put a premium on what’s the extra dimension that they’re bringing to our team,” Napier said. “What leadership, what character, and their ability to get along, I think that’s a component that’s really important. You work hard to sign two really good high school groups and then I think you can disrupt that if you make a mistake. It’s a short period of time to make a decision. I think we’ve done a nice job of finding players that not only bring production and experience but also I think there’s a character piece that’s worked. This group’s fun to be around as a whole.”