re: 2022 Football Discussion Thread General Thoughts & Comments

Some practice updates from 247 beat writers:

Nick de la Torre @delatorre


Jacob Rudner @JacobRudner

Florida season preview: Running back
JACOB RUDNER Aug 24, 4:00 PM

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While Dameon Pierce and Malik Davis moved on to the NFL, Florida's running back room received a talent infusion over the offseason with the additions of 2021 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year running back Montrell Johnson and 2022 four-star back Trevor Etienne. The Gator running back room appeared to be among the team's strongest in the spring thanks to consistently impressive performances from junior Lorenzo Lingard and Johnson while sophomore Nay'Quan Wright, who was named to the 2022 Doak Walker Award Watch List last month, rehabbed an ankle injury and participated in a limited capacity. Etienne was a summer enrollee.

With fall camp in the rearview mirror, it is even clearer that Florida's backfield should be loaded with talent this season as all four players, Wright, Johnson, Etienne and Lingard are expected to contribute in some capacity throughout the 2022 season.

"We’ve got four backs that we have confidence in," Florida head coach Billy Napier said Wednesday. "All have character, all are very consistent. They all care. They’re all very smart and understand what to do, so (running backs) coach (Jabbar) Juluke, can’t compliment him enough. I think he's always got his group ready to go."


At Louisiana, Napier utilized a run-based scheme in which he kept the ball on the ground 57.37 percent of the time against FBS opponents, the 32nd-highest rate in the FBS last season. While he could choose to use a slightly more balanced scheme this year with the advent of starting quarterback Anthony Richardson, Florida's surplus of talented runners should allow him to stick to the ground game should he so choose.

BEST RETURNING PLAYER: NAY'QUAN WRIGHT

Wright appeared in 12 games last season and accumulated 326 yards on the ground with a rushing touchdown. The 5-foot-9, 202-pounder rusher also caught 14 passes for 178 yards, including a career-long 51-yard snap against Vanderbilt on Oct. 9. A three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, Wright averaged 27.2 yards on the ground and 14.8 yards per reception in the 2021 campaign.

While Wright is technically a sophomore this year, he is entering his fourth season at the college level. In his career, he has rushed for 563 yards on 142 carries with three scores. He has an additional 401 receiving yards to his name and one receiving score.

"We’re be excited to get Nay’Quan back," Florida head coach Billy Napier said after Florida's spring game in April. "He’s certainly going to bring something to our team."


After he was limited in the spring due to a recovering ankle injury, Wright had a solid fall camp and seemingly put himself in a position to be his unit's No. 1 player, though it is unclear how much separation, if any, that tag will create from the rest of the unit in terms of total usage.


KEY ADDITION: MONTRELL JOHNSON

Montrell Johnson transferred to Florida after an uber-successful true freshman season in Billy Napier's offense at Louisiana in 2021. Johnson rushed for 838 yards with 12 scores on the ground throughout the campaign and exceeded 100 rushing yards twice, including a 150-yard performance against Arkansas State in which he exploded for a 99-yard carry and two of his 12 scores. Johnson's efforts propelled him to the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year Award and the No. 70 overall rank among all transfers in the nation this year.

Johnson is a strong runner who operates well between the tackles, though his speed could also allow him to be successful in space and beyond the tackles, should Florida choose or need to diversify his workload.


BIGGEST CAMP RISER: TREVOR ETIENNE

Fans would have been very reasonable to assume that true freshman running back Trevor Etienne was headed for fourth-string status in his first year with the program and even a possible redshirt. The former four-star prospect joined a crowded and talented room with just a few months to impress coaches and move up the team's depth chart at his position.

But, since arriving on campus in the summer, Etienne has done exactly that. According to Napier, the freshman runner has demonstrated an excellent work ethic on and off the field and has also impressed coaches with his patience and vision out of the backfield, making him a candidate to earn meaningful reps from the jump this season. Etienne is also viewed as a candidate to return punts and kicks.

“I've been very pleased with Trevor. There’s no question we made a good decision there. Was familiar with him having evaluated him at Louisiana. The guy's 5-8 and three-quarters and he weighs 207 pounds. He’s loose, got a low center of gravity, catches the ball. I think he's got some returner value. So the big thing with him is his character, his consistency. The guy shows up and works. He’s gotten a little bit ahead of the game there because of his brother’s experience there. He’s from Jennings, Louisiana, man. The guy shows up here and it’s like he's in New York City. He is a worker. He's got a great attitude. He's got a little sense of humor. I'm like him and I think he’s got a chance to be a good player for the Gators."


KEY RETURNER: LORENZO LINGARD

While Lingard's production in four years at the college has hardly delivered on his five-star potential, the fifth-year junior appeared to take a massive step in the right direction this spring when he was routinely earning praise from Florida players and coaches due to his consistent performance.

Lingard earned first-team reps throughout the Gators' spring schedule and one source told Swamp247 that the 6-foot, 209-pound runner looked like Florida's "best offensive player in general" during the team's scrimmages. Still, the experienced running back could find himself in a situation where he is earning just a share of the running back responsibilities as the rest of his unit is so strong entering the season.

For a player who has recorded just 16 carries in two playing seasons with the Gators, Lingard hasn't sounded frustrated by his lack of opportunities, though.

Instead, he sounded motivated to figure out why he hasn't been able to get more carries and how to fix that. Lingard outlined why he picked Florida in the first place on the Gettin Swamped podcast in the spring.

"I came home with the hardship with my dad and his health," Lingard said. "I've seen him feel a lot better with me being closer to home. Florida, I just knew that it was going to be a tough school to come to. It's a lot of pressure being a Gator, what with the guys that come through here and what they do and what not. So I was like, 'Man, I'm going to go there and it's not going to be easy, but with it not being easy I'm going to be the best player that I can be and I'm going to get better every day.' And that's pretty much what happened."


BIGGEST LOSSES: DAMEON PIERCE AND MALIK DAVIS

Florida had a potent running back duo last season with Dameon Pierce and Malik Davis in the fold. After nearly evenly splitting reps, the two combined for 1,061 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns and just over 5.5 yards per carry. Their success out of the Florida backfield led to professional opportunities with Pierce joining the Houston Texans after he was selected in the fourth round with the 107th overall pick while Davis signed with the Dallas Cowboys after going undrafted.

However, if there was any unit best suited to lose its most productive players, the running back room is certainly high on the list at is has the potential to make up for those absences.

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What a Nick Saban bestseller taught us about Florida Gators’ Billy Napier
From big-picture philosophies to parking spots, UF’s new coach got a lot from the Alabama icon.
Matt Baker
Published Yesterday|

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Though first-year Florida Gators coach Billy Napier isn’t a Nick Saban clone, you can see Saban’s fingerprints everywhere in Gainesville, down to the parking spots.

That’s the biggest takeaway from “The Leadership Secrets of Nick Saban: How Alabama’s Coach Became the Greatest Ever.” We received an advanced copy and read it through the prism of Napier and his five years at ‘Bama. Though Saban’s impact on Napier is well chronicled, the similarities were still striking.

Everything comes back to recruiting
In his first meeting at ‘Bama, Saban told the entire staff, “Everything we do is about recruiting.” The message applied to coaches, janitors and everyone else. How a secretary answers the phone shapes how outsiders view the program, which affects recruiting.

Napier made his priority clear on Day 1, too, when he called college football “a talent-acquisition business.” Napier said he looks for three traits in potential hires across the organization: a sincere care for others, subject-area expertise and the recruiting footprint or personality/networking skills that “they bring to the table from recruiting dynamics.”

The recruiting approach is similar
Saban’s Crimson Tide have “critical factors” for each position. Defensive backs, for instance, must be 6 feet tall with 33-inch arms. The “Saban sheets,” Talty writes, eliminate office politics through clear criteria.

Napier cites “critical factors” often, too. On signing day, he stressed players’ height, length, verified speed and functional movement.

One thing that isn’t a critical factor: a player’s ranking. In his introductory news conference, Napier said UF won’t “get consumed with the stars” and will instead focus on evaluation. It wasn’t well received by every Gators fan, but the approach works for Saban. Rick Trickett — who worked with and under Saban before becoming a Florida State assistant from 2007-17 — said Saban succeeds because he “still trusts his eyes.”

“I think what hurt us at Florida State at the end was we quit trusting our eyes,” Trickett said. “We cared more about the recruiting magazines telling us we were No. 3 in the nation.”

The FSU recruiting class that was No. 3 in the nation in 2016 went 10-3, 7-6, 5-7 and 6-7 on the field.

Talty writes that Saban routinely reviews previous classes “to know what he and his staff missed in their evaluation so it wouldn’t happen again.” Napier’s staff includes a spot for a director of research and evaluation to study player production and the program’s scouting process.

‘Pick where you can win’
After leading Michigan State to a top-10 season in 1999, Saban left for LSU. Why? “I’ll never be Michigan.”

Only a dozen or so programs can be Michigan. LSU is one. So is Alabama. And, yes, Florida.

The Gators weren’t the first Power Five program to try to hire Napier away from Louisiana. But they succeeded because they have the resources and willingness to invest in Napier’s vision, which he called “the most important part” in his decision.

It was the same for Saban at LSU and Alabama. Both programs were starved for success and agreed to give Saban whatever he wanted, from an expanded football facility to better parking spots for players. Though UF’s $85 million football complex was already in the works, UF tweaked it for Napier’s needs. And one of the first things Napier’s staff did this spring? Improve players’ parking.

The secret to the massive staff: clear roles
Saban’s process is known for his massive support staff, but it works because every role is defined. “In clear and concise language,” Talty writes, “(Saban) explains what their job responsibilities are and what success looks like.”


Napier follows that blueprint. The Gators expanded their staff for him, because his vision was detailed: Napier needs this specific position for this specific purpose.

“He didn’t just bring you here to bring you here,” director of college personnel Bird Sherrill said this spring. “There’s a thorough, detailed plan.”

If that sounds obvious, it isn’t. Athletic departments can be inefficient bureaucracies like any other workplace.

The emphasis on structure across the organization comes back to something Napier said at the start of preseason camp: “The gray area is the enemy.” Both Napier and his former boss try to eliminate it.

There are differences, too
Saban yells often. Talty tells the story of Saban unloading on a ball boy one minute and screaming at offensive coordinator Jim McElwain the next. Napier doesn’t. At media day, punter Jeremy Crawshaw said he had not yet seen Napier mad. Napier shows his intensity differently.

Though Napier’s massive support staff is inspired by Alabama, it’s not a carbon copy. Napier’s analysts and quality control staffers are up-and-comers. Many worked for him at Louisiana Lafayette.

Saban hires some of those, too, but there’s an entire chapter dedicated to the way he gives “distressed assets” a second chance. Fired coaches like Butch Jones, Lane Kiffin, Charlie Strong and an offensive coordinator Clemson canned after the 2010 season: Billy Napier.

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Billy Blue Chip is definitely a man who weighs every detail in his mind and I honestly believe we hit the jackpot hiring him....he was a hot commodity and numerous schools tried to lure him to their school.

The contract talks were about the resources he had to have at UF to be succussful. Not about money, he needed an army of support staff and thankfully the Gators agreed. He is organized and constantly recruiting. The future is bright and when we start getting ranked top three in recruiting, we will know that we will have quality depth.

I think this guy used to give insider tidbits on Twitter (before his source told him to stop) wrote this about Week 1:

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I have changed my mind and am not going to talk about the "watered down less positive stuff." First of all, it's game week and there's no sense on planting that kind of tree; and secondly, well, you probably already know...

I will say this: We have been relatively injury free, but we have certain (imp't) people dinged up for sure. They are going to have to play through pain if we are going to beat Utah. Also, we have to keep AR healthy. We are a completely different team without him. Depth is a big concern at certain positions. Coaches have been very careful in practice protecting those areas from further injury. Finally, I know I sound like Captain Obvious but Utah is really, really good. Whittingham is a Meyer-like clone who will have his team ready. They are exceptionally deep. They have played big games before. Their offense is excellent. To me, the key is whether or not we can run the ball on the Utes. If we can control the line of scrimmage, pile up yards and add scores with the running attack, we will be ok. Definitely a tough game to start the season for our new head coach

Some good stuff:

This team has been hitting hard in practice. Very physical. The staff has implemented "safety" measures when it comes to players hitting the ground and that has definitely worked to reduce injuries. But this team has been subjected to physical, hard hitting. Focus has been on tackling. We are going to be "tougher" than last year.

As I have posted before, we are faster and in better shape right now than at any point last year.

Shemar James is going to see significant playing time. He has been really good and ahead of schedule. Our lack of depth will give him plenty of opportunity, and our coaches believe he is ready. Watch for him on Saturday.

Scooby Williams is playing inside LB and we are expecting big things from him. Coaches want him to be more vocal as the MIKE position requires elevated leadership. He is also the "heaviest" of the LB's.

Wingo is coming along and being "worked" to play multiple LB positions: Mike, Sam and Will. Coaches are really happy with his commitment and attitude.

Diwun is finally understanding the basics of the defense. Last year he was 100% lost (as were others). He is now in a position to simply "go" and use his raw talent to contribute. He is really happy with the coaches' investment into him. I think he is going to have a very good year.

On offense, we really have a large menu of running back options. If our O-line can open up space, I think we will run all day on the Utes. Napier has never had running back talent like he has right now, and he is thrilled with that. If we cannot run the ball with authority, then AR will have to win this game. I think we feel good about our starters on the O-line, but depth is certainly a concern. We all know that BN likes to run the ball and he wants to be able to pick up 3 yards anytime he needs to. Our OL vs. Utah's DL will be the key to the game IMO.

Napier does not get overly excited about anything. But the hush hush talk is that he cannot wait to run out of that tunnel with 90K+ crazy Gator fans losing their minds. This guy really wants to be here. I cannot think of a bigger environment for the first game of a first-year Gator coach.

I think we all need to have realistic expectations for the season. Just remember (or don't )last year's defense against Samford. That’s where BN was forced to start. BN had to blow this thing up and start from scratch. That is exactly what he has done. He needs way more depth on his roster. But he also needs to experience the depth of Gator Nation: the crowd, the noise, the support. That starts Saturday night.

Let the games begin.

KC

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Wouldn't be surprised if Etienne isn't the top back by mid-season. He has football speed the others don't have.