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Gators host 150 high school coaches, 17 NFL speakers for Chalk Talk

On3 imageby:Zach Abolverdi•03/27/23•

ZachAbolverdi

Florida-Gators-Chalk-Talk-Rich-Bisaccia
Green Bay Packers assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia addresses the Gators football team.

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Florida coach Billy Napier and his staff hosted about 150 high school coaches for the second annual Gators Chalk Talk. Attendees watched two UF spring practices and listened to guest speakers from the college and NFL levels.

The event was organized by Florida director of football logistics Ashour Peera, who coached at both the collegiate and high school levels prior to assuming off-the-field duties, including serving as the head coach at East Ridge.

“One of our goals was to be able to have speakers from the NFL come join us and cover every position group that we have, also including nutrition, strength and conditioning, player performance, sports science and analytics,” Peera said in the video below. “And it gives us a chance to open up our doors and let them know that they have a great resource here at the University of Florida.”

The list of guest lecturers at the clinic featured 17 coaches and staff members from NFL teams, with Green Bay Packers assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia serving as the keynote speaker. Bisaccia addressed the UF football team after Thursday’s practice.

“Coaching is an accumulation of knowledge and it’s really important,” said Joe Houston, special teams assistant for the New England Patriots. “Anything that I’ve learned I got from someone else, and so it’s always a good opportunity to come back and give back to younger coaches. That’s all I ever wanted to be, was a high school coach growing up. It’s an honor to coach this game the right way.”

The guest list included Minnesota Vikings defensive line coach and former UF assistant Chris Rumph, who coached with Napier at Clemson.

“Coach Napier is a really good friend of mine. He’s a guy in this business that I not only call a partner, but I call him my friend,” Rumph said in the video below. “And having an opportunity to give back to high school coaches, at one time I was a high school coach, so I know the importance of giving back. That’s what it’s all about.”

Houston added, “Coach Napier is a class act. He’s absolutely golden. Phenomenal X’s and O’s, but even more important than that, his ability to relate to the players. It really transcends the football field and his ability to build relationships, really care about the kids growth on and off the field is what appeals to me the most.”

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