The first taste of the Florida Gators under new head coach Billy Napier came on a rare Thursday night as the 2022 Orange & Blue Debut was held in primetime inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. With the roster and coaching staff split among uniform color lines, the Gators showed that the offense remains far ahead of the defense in a 31-0 shutout win for the Blue squad.

Led by redshirt sophomore quarterback Anthony Richardson, the Blue team scored on every first-half possession to open up a 21-0 halftime lead. Richardson remained in the game through the third quarter, completing 18 of 24 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns with a rushing score on the evening. His passes were crisp, his surgically-repaired knee looked 100% healthy, and he managed the first-team offense exceptionally well against a first-team Orange defense that proved it still has miles to go.

“I can’t say enough [about him],” head coach Billy Napier said of Richardson. “His approach has been first class.”

The same could not be said for redshirt freshman QB Jack Miller III, who was incredibly inconsistent with the ball and made numerous errors in the red zone. Miller completed 13 of 23 passes for 121 yards with an end zone interception thrown into triple coverage. As if the starting job was not already decided entering the game, Richardson made it quite clear why he is QB1 entering the season as Miller got off his spot too easily and telegraphed passes too frequently.

Let’s dive into some other first-blush takeaways from the spring game.

Thumbs up

» Tight ends: For a position that has been ravaged by injuries and using replacement players, these guys showed out all night. Junior Keon Zipperer (Orange), redshirt junior Dante Zanders (Blue, moved from defensive line) and redshirt sophomore walk-on Noah Keeter (Blue, moved from linebacker) combined for 10 receptions, 142 yards and a touchdown (Keeter). Each had receptions of 20+ yards while averaging 15 yards per catch or better. That’s not to say this will be replicated in the regular season, but it did provide some hope at the position and some highlights for recruits that this position will be targeted frequently in the offense. Napier called Zanders the “story of the spring” for his commitment to the position change and believes he has a real future at tight end.» Montrell Johnson Jr. (Blue) transferred from Louisiana looking for opportunity under Napier, and he’s certainly found it. Though Johnson played for both teams, he got the start for Blue and received 16 total touches, the second-most in the game. Johnson finished with 64 total yards and a rushing touchdown, showing good burst and shiftiness. Given he may be more trustworthy with the ball (see below), he certainly seems to have a leg up for the starting job.

» Diwun Black (Blue) did not show out as many hoped in his first season, but he looks to have completely turned things around. Napier called out his “gold standard of effort” during the spring, noting he “completely changed his reputation in the building”, and it showed on the field. Black had three tackles and two pass defenses. The senior linebacker was frequently around the ball and looked like the playmaker everyone expected he could be both out of high school and junior college.

» Jalen Kimber and Jordan Young (Blue) showed out for the second-team defense, combining for 12 tackles (seven for loss). While Young was impressive in the open field, Kimber showed talent in coverage with an interception and two pass defenses. The redshirt sophomore and redshirt freshman were just two out of a handful of second-teamers who impressed, including sophomore defensive linemen Tyreak Sapp (forced fumble, QB hurry, tackle for loss).

» Ja’Quavion Fraziars (Orange) got the most run out of any wide receivers. The sophomore caught five passes for 53 yards, though he was missed frequently by Miller and likely could have put up a more significant stat line.

» Adam Mihalek (Blue), a redshirt freshman walk-on kicker, did something others at his position could not last year: make long field goals. Mihalek stunningly connected on 52- and 47-yard field goals in the second half, clearly making a case for a scholarship if that play is indicative of what he’s accomplished in practice to this point, though he did boot a kickoff out of bounds as well. (2022 signee Trey Smack will not enroll until the summer.)

» Atmosphere: Florida announced an attendance of over 45,000. While that was likely juiced with The Swamp acting as the Pontiac Silverdome in this scenario, there was nevertheless a huge showing of fans, proving Napier’s decision to move the game to Thursday night before Easter an inspired one. Furthermore, there were reportedly more than 300 recruits in attendance to see that fan engagement and experience a taste of a primetime atmosphere. Napier even handed out some awards to players during halftime at midfield. “It was electric out there,” Napier said after the game. “Even better than I expected.”

Thumbs in the middle

» Demarkus Bowman (Orange) showed great quickness and agility but made costly mistakes with the ball in his hands. The redshirt sophomore running back fumbled the opening kickoff and fumbled a carry on the first possession of the second half, giving Blue the ball in the red zone for an immediate Richardson rushing touchdown. Bowman took 21 touches for a game-high 79 total yards, but those miscues are going to give the coaches second thoughts about giving him the starting job. If he can take care of those ball protection issues, he is clearly the most electric playmaker on the field.

Thumbs down

» First-team defense: Spring games are not defensive showcases, so no one was expecting the Orange first team to consistently stop Richardson or turn the ball over. Still, AR15 sliced through it like butter with the Blue offense getting whatever it wanted in the first half. Blue scored on all of its possessions before halftime and likely would have in the second half as well if it didn’t take its foot off the gas. (Orange did have a nice defensive stop on the first drive of the latter period.) There was no push from the defensive front seven, and Blue was never even forced into an occasional negative play. Defensive coordinator Patrick Toney has a lot of work to do with this group over the summer.

» Discipline: This is mostly referring to pre-snap penalties, of which there were plenty in the game — particularly the first half. Florida was one of the five most penalized teams in the nation last season, and that lack of care is simply not sustainable if this team wants to move forward. Napier has made this a key point of offseason program, so it was a bit surprising to see it be such an issue. Then again, the Gators have surely been concentrating on larger issues during their limited 15 practices, and hopefully this is a problem addressed more thoroughly during summer camp.

» Celebration chain(s): Sure, this may be silly to write about, but Florida had a touchdown chain on the sideline. It was a simple thick link necklace with a steel padlock on the bottom. Forget for a moment that the fad was made popular by one of UF’s rivals, it is massively played out, and the Gators’ chain did not even impress. Asked about a “turnover chain” after the game, Napier demured: “Nobody ran that by me. That won’t be happening.” Hopefully, he was talking about any semblance of a celebration chain and not just specifically a “turnover” version. Either way, it does not need to be part of the program.

Todd Golden lands first transfer commitment as Florida’s head coach

Former Belmont guard Will Richard announced his commitment to the Florida Gators on Saturday.

Richard becomes the first player to commit to new head coach Todd Golden after picking the Gators over Clemson, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest. As a freshman, Richard started 30 of 33 games averaging 12.1 points and 6 rebounds per game. His best scoring performance (22 points) came in an NIT loss to Vanderbilt.

The 6-foot-5-inch, 195-pounder entered the portal on March 22 and Golden immediately got to work. The two spoke daily until Richard finally made it to campus on April 7, and the decision came shortly after that trip.

Richard’s commitment comes on the heels of Tyree Appleby’s decision to transfer from UF for his final year of eligibility. Tuongthach Gatkek also hit the portal and Anthony Durujideclared for the NBA draft. Golden is still working on getting Colin Castelton to return, but Florida needs help from the transfer portal to turn things around.

Landing Richards is a good start. He’s one of the more productive names in the portal and figures to be the primary ball-handler for the Gators next season. Pairing him with Kowacie Reeves would give Golden a talented duo in the backcourt to work with.

 

Florida Gators

Sierra Griffin Joins the Gators as On-Campus Recruiting Coordinator

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Sierra Griffin joined the Gators football recruiting staff as On-Campus Recruiting Coordinator, head coach Billy Napier announced Wednesday.

Prior to her arrival at Florida, Griffin worked as an Assistant Coordinator of On-Campus Recruiting – Football at Auburn University (2021-22) and as a Football Creative Intern at University of Miami (2020).

In her role with the Gators, she is responsible for providing information, guiding campus visits and building relationships to sell the Florida Football program to prospective student athletes.

A native of Woodstock, Ga., Griffin graduated from Auburn with a bachelor’s of science in exercise science and received a master’s of science in sports administration from Miami.
 

Mike Peterson had a good thing going at South Carolina. He developed three All-SEC players during his six years at the school, including D.J. Wonnum, who finished his career ninth on the school’s all-time tackles-for-loss list.

He had survived the head coaching transition from Will Muschamp to Shane Beamer and built great relationships with his players.

Even with all of that, accepting the outside linebackers coach/alumni liaison position at Florida in January was a no-brainer for him. The Alachua native was a First Team All-American on the 1996 national championship team, and he’s a member of the UF Athletic Hall of Fame. Choosing to come home to Gainesville didn’t really take much thought.

“It was a real simple process,” Peterson said. “I think last year when everything went down, I kind of saw it happen. I can’t lie about that. I saw it happen. The crazy part about it is I had a great relationship with my guys up there. I had made a lot of friends up there. So, it’s kind of one of those moments where I hope I get a call, but, if I do, it’s going to be really, really hard because it’s going to be hard for me to say no.

“It happened quick. [Billy Napier] called, and we had mutual friends. I did my homework on him, and I’m sure pretty sure he did his homework on me. It was an easy, simple process. This is home. So, there wasn’t too much the other place could say or do to keep me. This is home.”

Peterson’s outside linebackers are referred to as JACK linebackers in defensive coordinator Patrick Toney’s scheme. From the way that the position has been described by Peterson and some players so far, it doesn’t sound like the position will differ much philosophically from what the BUCK position did under the previous staff. They’ll still be asked to rush the passer, stop the run and cover running backs at different points in a game.

Peterson likes the athleticism of the group, but, in what’s become a running theme among assistant coaches this spring, he’d like to see them play with an increased understanding of the nuances of the position.Brenton Cox was one of the few bright spots down the stretch of the 2021 season. He recorded at least one sack in each of the final four games, including four against Florida State, the most by a Gator since sacks became an official NCAA statistic in 2000. He used that late charge to finish with the team lead in sacks (8 ½) and tackles-for-loss (14 ½).

Now the goal is for Cox to play like that for an entire season.

“He was one of the first ones that came up to the meeting room,” Peterson said. “We sat, and we talked for a while. I wanted him to get to know me, and I wanted to get to know him as well. I’ve been watching him for a while. I actually recruited him when he was coming out. So, I was familiar with him. I’m excited to get out there on the field and let him do his thing.

“He has all the skills. This guy’s strong. He’s powerful. He can rush the passer. Right now, my thing is to kind of polish his game, to help him learn the game. There are so many things that go into football. Everybody thinks you get out there and just run around and make plays. No, it’s so many things. You can talk about taking care of your body away from football, building his brand up. ‘What do you want to be after football?’”

One of the biggest criticisms of Cox among fans is his tendency to disappear at times. He’ll make a sack early in the game, and then you won’t even notice that he’s on the field for the rest of the game. Other times, he’ll go multiple games without making an impact play.

Cox said that Peterson has worked with him on playing with a consistently high motor.

“[There’s] been a discussion that I don’t play hard,” Cox said. “So, he’s been preaching to me that if you’re not in the TV [picture] by the time the play is over, then it’s a loaf. You’re not running to the ball. So, that’s helped me turn the other way and get going when I’m done with my rush.”

Antwaun Powell was one of the higher-rated members of the 2020 signing class, but he hasn’t done much of anything in his college career outside of 1 ½ sacks against Vanderbilt last year.

“[Peterson is] a Gator Great,” Powell said. “That comes with an expectation already. We have to meet that expectation every day. Work hard, play hard, make sure we know what we have to do.”

Peterson is trying to get Powell to take on more of a leadership role this spring.

“He’s explosive, and he’s a great kid, real quiet,” he said. “I’m trying to get him to be a little more vocal. I kind of jumped on him a little bit [Tuesday] out there, so it was good for him.”

On the opposite end of that spectrum is redshirt freshman Chief Borders. He’s a high-energy guy who is highly athletic.

“That guy is full of energy,” Peterson said. “I love it. He keeps the group going, just the energy that comes with [him]. A guy that can run. He has a motor, and that’s one of the things I love. The energy he plays with, you can’t coach that. Right now, it’s just fine-tuning. I don’t know if he’s played much football, so I think it’s only going to get better with reps.”

Rounding out the group are Lloyd Summerall and David Reese. At one time, Reese was considered a potential rising star, but injuries have derailed his career. Summerall played in all 13 games in 2021 but only has 2 ½ tackles-for-loss to his credit in three collegiate seasons. Despite his lack of production, Peterson is excited about Summerall’s potential.

“A kid with all the talent,” he said. “Has the size, all the measurables, long arms, can rush the passer. Right now, he’s raw. Raw talent. He’s taking coaching probably like no other. He’s up in the meeting rooms. He’s up all the time and just wants to talk. So, he’s one I was real anxious to get my hands on. Another kid that I recruited and knew coming out of high school.”

While improving his players’ fundamentals is certainly a high priority for Peterson, football is far from the only thing that he wants to impart on his players. He’s developed what he calls a “coach’s creed” to serve as something of a mission statement for his career.

“The first thing, every kid I coach — and I’m 100 percent with this right now – is going to get their degree,” he said. “No. 2 is I’m going to turn them from boys to men. I’m going to teach them. We’re going to learn how to tie a tie. We’re going to learn how to save our money. We’re going to learn how to talk to girls. We’re going to learn how to be a husband. We’re going to learn how to be a boyfriend.

“No. 3 is I’m going to teach you football. We’re going to learn ball. We’re going to learn the game of football. So, that’s kind of my little coach’s creed. That’s kind of my three things of what I stand on, and I have fun with it. My last thing is I tell them ‘Play hard and have fun.’”

While Peterson enjoys coaching now, coaching wasn’t always part of his plan after he retired from the NFL. He just thought he’d stop playing and do something else for the remainder of his life.

However, during his final few seasons in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons, his playing time decreased, as his age began to catch up with him. So, a big part of his job was to mentor some of the Falcons’ younger players and get them ready to replace him. Peterson enjoyed that role so much that he decided to go into coaching.

“I just looked at it more [as] I’m just giving back to the game,” he said. “This game, it’s blessed me along the way and helped me be able to bless a lot of people in my life, whether it be family, friends and neighbors. You always want to give back to the game, and I think coaching, being able to affect college kids is kind of the ultimate way of giving back to the game.”

He started his coaching career as an assistant in the strength and conditioning program at UF from 2013-15. Then, when Muschamp was hired as South Carolina’s head coach, Peterson left Florida to accept his first on-field coaching job in Columbia.

His success with the Gamecocks led Napier to make the call that Peterson had been waiting for earlier this year. He’s enjoyed his time back at UF so far.

“Coach Napier has a plan, and that trickles down to everybody on staff,” Peterson said. “If you’re not pushing this way and trying to make the program better or get back to the top, you almost stand out. You stand out like a sore thumb because everybody’s recruiting, everybody’s wanting the best and pouring so much into the university. It gets kind of contagious, and you always want to do a little more.”

Wuerffel wowed by Napier’s start, praises Richardson’s processing ability

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — New Florida basketball coach Todd Golden is embracing UF history in a major way, set to hire two-time national champion point guard Taurean Green to his staff as director of player development. New Florida football coach Billy Napier has also embraced the program’s storied past.

Napier has a number of UF football alumni working for him already, with former linebacker Mike Peterson serving as an on-field assistant coach and several other former players on his support staff.

The first-year UF coach has also made it a point to encourage former players to visit Gainesville whenever possible.

“I’ve been very encouraged at so many of the things that I’ve seen,” said 1996 Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel, who was on campus Saturday for the team’s practice.

“The sheer number of quality people that are part of this program now, from all the coaches to the people doing all sorts of other aspects. The GatorMade program, Katie Turner and Bri (Wade) and what they’re doing with recruiting, it is really remarkable. I’ve been very grateful to have a little bit of bandwidth in my life and said, ‘Hey, if I can help with some things…’ So I’ve been around a little more, and I’m enjoying it.”

Wuerffel is one of the most beloved figures in Florida football history.

His statue sits outside the Swamp, with Steve Spurrier sandwiched in between Wuerffel and Tim Tebow. Needless to say, when Wuerffel gives some thoughts on the program, fans tune in. So does Napier.

The two spent several minutes speaking after Saturday’s practice, pointing to different areas of the practice field.

“We were just chatting about a whole lot of different things,” Wuerffel said with a grin. “I was telling him about a couple of plays we ran when I was on the flag football team.”

But Wuerffel has also shared more serious advice with the current players.

“I’ve had a chance to talk with the players at different times, really on the subject of leadership and trying to develop leaders,” he said. “I met with some of them as a group and others individually; it has been really encouraging. I’m really excited to be associated with GatorMade and help really highlight some of the great stuff that they’re doing.”

Florida plans to more fully unveil what the GatorMade program run by Savannah Bailey is in the next week. Napier has been slowly rolling out members of his support staff to meet with the media throughout spring practice, allowing each of them to explain exactly what role they fill in the grand scheme of things.

Wuerffel beamed about the GatorMade program Saturday, so excited he nearly let the cat out of the bag early.

Another thing he’s excited about? The potential of redshirt sophomore quarterback Anthony Richardson.

“Like everybody, you immediately see the physical skills,” Wuerffel said. “He’s a tremendous passer. Really strong guy and runner. Tremendous athlete. But I think what’s encouraging to me is to see the way he processes the game. He’s a really smart guy, and I think he’s got so much potential. And as everybody’s been saying, you hope that you see that potential translate and there’s consistency. And you hope he stays healthy.”

The latter part Wuerffel can’t really help with. What he does know, though, is the intense amount of pressure and scrutiny that comes with being a quarterback at a place like Florida. Especially now, after Wuerffel and Tebow have made those shoes even bigger to fill in the last 30 years.

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If he can lend some advice to Richardson on managing that, he’s all for it. Napier’s all too happy to step aside and let guys like Wuerffel who have been in it first-hand at Florida have the floor for moments like that.

“We’ve talked about a lot of different things,” Wuerffel said. “Mainly, I really just wanted to thank him and encourage him. I felt like both he and Emory (Jones) went through a really difficult situation last year, and they both showed a lot of class and support for one another, and I think that goes a long way.”

Florida basketball: Taurean Green will return to Gators as director of player development