Good Morning Gators: Napier mic'd up, Toney talks defensive scheme
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Three days removed from turning 32, Florida co-defensive coordinator Patrick Toney met with the media Thursday following the Gators’ second spring practice.
Toney, who serves as the new play-caller and safeties coach, was asked to give a synopsis of his philosophy on defense.
“We want to make the same things look different and different things look the same,” Toney said. “In today’s game, the person you’ve got to make things hard on is the triggerman You’ve got to be able to disguise and make him decide post-snap what the coverage is, where are the strengths and weaknesses and where the coverage issues are. We’re going to try and put in a defense that poses problems for the quarterback post-snap.
“But football is a game that’s made a lot more difficult than it needs to be. It’s going to come down to taking on blocks, getting off blocks, tackling, creating takeaways and playing good, situational football. As a coaching staff our No. 1 goal is to put our players in a sound concept, eliminate gray areas and make it back-and-white so they can play fast.”
In 2021, Toney’s Louisiana defense finished first in the Sun Belt in scoring defense (18.3) and tied-for-ninth nationally, while ranking fourth in passing defense in the conference.
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He inherits a Florida unit that struggled to stop the run last season and had several busted coverages. Toney called his UF players “extremely eager” to improve this spring.
“I think they’re very football intelligent, and they want to do things the right way. The first thing that we’ve got to do is play fundamentally sound defense,” Toney said. “We’ve got to learn how to strike blockers. We’ve got to learn how to shed, how to leverage the football, pursue and get the ball carrier on the ground, you know what I mean?
“Defense is not as much about what you do, it’s about how you do it. I think if you look at the blueprint of SEC defense right now, it’s a lot of guys that do very similar things. It’s about the level of detail and precision and execution they’re doing it with. So to me, the No. 1 priority is how you’re playing the game. Those fundamental techniques that we’ve got to get a lot better at. And then obviously that will drive the scheme.”
What will Toney’s defensive scheme look like?
“Breathtaking,” safety Trey Dean III said. “In the fall it’s going to be a show.”
Former Baylor player J.D. PicKell broke down Toney’s defense for Gators Online below.
In other Florida football news
- Intel and observations from Florida’s second practice under Napier, including some young standouts in the secondary and an update on unavailable players.
- Florida’s first spring game in three years has a new date, with the program moving it up two days to Thursday, April 14. Napier addressed the decision in the video below.
UF recruiting roundup
- Billy Napier’s staff made a strong first impression on four-star offensive lineman Lucas Simmons, a top-100 recruit with On3 Sports.
- After visiting UF and having his offer reaffirmed, will top-100 sophomore D’antre Robinson follow his heart to Gainesville?
- Following an offer from the Gators on Tuesday, Georgia prospect RJ Johnson scheduled two visits to the University of Florida.
Gators sports roundup
- Top Plays: Watch the best moments from the Gators’ comeback win over Iona in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament.
Let’s keep talking
Want to keep the conversation going? Head over to our Florida message board, Swamp Talk. Gators Online is running a spring camp promo. Sign up here and join the discussion for just $10, which will cover the next four months.
Gators Twitter updates
- Highlights from Napier mic’d up at Florida’s first spring practice Tuesday.
- Two more additions to Florida’s Chalk Talk event from March 24-26, including Vikings assistant quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson:
