Gator Morning Gators: Matt Rhule addresses team; UF recruiting intel
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Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule addressed the Florida football team in the indoor practice facility last Thursday.
Rhule was in town for Billy Napier’s Chalk Talk event, where he was the keynote speaker. The third-year NFL coach had high praise for the Gators following their practice and also discussed what he’s looking for at the next level.
“Let me just first just say this. What you guys just did was really, really hard. That’s a hard practice,” Rhule said. “That was long, you guys competed, and you guys finished with energy at the end. That’s hard to do. That’s like the building block of having a good team. This is a locked in team and I kind of like this team right here. But the thing that I’ll say to you guys is everybody thinks talent wins championships. We all know you need talent; we all get that.
“But guys, you, me, every coach, every trainer, we’re all trying to do two things in our lives: we’re trying to be successful personally, and we’re trying to win a championship as a team. Most teams lose because they don’t know why they lost. I want to coach players, guys, that love football and love practice and pay attention the whole time at practice. I want to coach players that love to run to the football. I want to coach players that love to take notes. And that’s how you become different. That’s how you become great. That’s how you win.”
Rhule also spoke highly of Napier, who he’s known for a long time. Based on what he accomplished at Louisiana and how the Gators practiced last Thursday, Rhule expects big things from Napier’s program.
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“I think when you come to the University of Florida, it’s built on winning championships. It’s happened many, many, many times,” Rhule told SI. “[Napier has] done it in a place that it’s hard to do — all credit to them, but I mean, he’s done something that is difficult to do.
“I think he has the tools and he certainly has the staff, just being around these guys. … He’s a leader. You can feel him on the field. He does a great job of, you know, not only managing the quarterback and the offense but running a great practice. I think people should be excited.”
In other Florida football news
- Observations from the Florida Gators seventh spring practice on Tuesday, including another player switching sides of the ball.
- Outside linebacker Brenton Cox, who led the team with 8.5 sacks last year, has his eyes and goals set on a Florida Gators record.
UF recruiting roundup
- Gators Online’s Corey Bender provides the latest UF recruiting intel, including an update on five-star DB Tony Mitchell and some upcoming visitors.
- S’Maje Burrell, the nation’s No. 3 linebacker and No. 74 overall recruit according to the On3 rankings, is heavily considering Florida for an official visit.
- Linebacker Lewis Carter, a top-200 recruit in the On3 Consensus, visited the Gators on Saturday and called them one of his top teams.
- Florida offensive line target Tommy Kinsler is inching closer to pulling himself off the market after visiting UF again last Saturday.
Gators sports roundup
- The Gators continued their dominance of FSU on the diamond Tuesday with a 6-3 win in Jacksonville over the No. 5 Seminoles.
- Assistant Kevin Hovde is reuniting with new Florida coach Todd Golden, who announced him as his first staff hire on Tuesday.
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
- Florida’s football nutrition and scholar athletes of the week:
- Follow the new UF coaching staff on social media.
