Good Morning Gators: Jay Bateman mic'd up; UF emerges for 5-star recruit
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Florida inside linebackers coach Jay Bateman is in his first stint in the SEC following stops at North Carolina and Army, where he was named a finalist for the Broyles Award in 2018.
While at the military academy, Bateman didn’t have access to the caliber of players he’s coaching now.
“Guys like Gervon Dexter, you say, ‘They can’t really run that play because that guy can’t block [Dexter].’ Or, ‘We can play this coverage because Jason Marshall can cover that guy.’ At the academy, we never really had that,” Bateman said. “It’s never really like the physical prowess of this player is going to win even though at the end. We had three kids on that defense that played in the NFL. … Everything had to be schematically right, and so that’s where I think you really learn.”
He inherited a talented but young position group led by two seniors, Ventrell Miller and Amari Burney. Bateman gave his overall assessment of his unit so far in spring camp.
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“Obviously got a couple of veteran guys that have played a lot of football. I feel Ventrell and Amari have done a really good job,” Bateman said. “I’m really excited about Scooby [Williams] and Derek Wingo, who are young guys that were kind of rotational pieces a year ago and I think they really improved. And then Diwun [Black] is really doing well, he’s really improving.”
In other Florida football news
- Xzavier Henderson eager to prove doubters of Florida’s WR room wrong this year as he earns a full-time starting role.
- Can the new structure within the Gators change the program’s history of penalties? UF ranked 119th nationally last year.
- Florida coach Billy Napier announced Sierra Griffin on Wednesday as an on-campus recruiting coordinator, which Gators Online reported March 30.
UF recruiting roundup
- Florida emerges as a contender for five-star recruit T.A. Cunningham, the No. 1 defensive lineman in the 2024 class
- Four-star offensive tackle Tyree Adams following his Tuesday visit with the Gators ‘They’re really up there’
- Top-20 athlete Samuel Omosigho, who was offered Wednesday, has long-standing relationship with a UF staff member.
- On300 running back Kaleb Jackson is already working scheduling a visit to Gainesville after landing an offer Tuesday.
Gators sports roundup
- New men’s basketball coach Todd Golden hires Victor Lopez as strength and conditioning coordinator.
- The seventh-ranked Florida softball team lost 4-2 in 10 innings to No. 2 Florida State on Wednesday.
- Gators starting pitcher Hunter Barco has been named to the Golden Spikes Watch List.
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
- What pair of Retro Jordans are the best? UF football players offered their opinions in the latest episode of Gator Cam:
