How Ron Roberts views his new role with the Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — In January, the Florida Gators announced the hire of Ron Roberts, who will reunite with Billy Napier. Officially, Roberts’ title is “Executive head coach, co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.”

There were questions as to what that title meant. Roberts sat down with Voice of the Gators, Sean Kelley, where he was asked just that. Gators Online transcribed the interview (full interview here).

Ron Roberts interview with Sean Kelley

On Billy Napier calling him the “Head coach of the defense“

“I wasn’t real sure of the title when I got it. I wasn’t sure what the executive head coach actually meant. I’m excited about (being) here. Being with Billy and the whole program.

Why Florida?

“I worked with Billy before. I always had a tremendous amount of respect for him. The way that he runs things. The way that he treats the players. His plan for development, plan across the board for everything we do. I just feel fortunate right now for the opportunity to be back with him.”

What will feel the same as when you were in Lafayette at Louisiana and what will feel different?

“I think there’s a familiarity with how he sees things and how he wants things done. I think it’s always different when it’s a new set of kids, a new set of players. Those are always bringing different things, changes on a day-to-day basis on how you handle those things are always going to be different.”

How do you see your role?

“I’m here to help. I think it’s to make sure we play the best football that we can. It’s to make sure that defensively that we’re on the right track and doing the best things for our players and to make sure we put them in the best situations as possible.”

You have experience as a head coach and a coordinator, which will you lean on more?

“A little bit of both, you know? I don’t know if I’ll lean on one more than the other. I think you kind of really, as a DC and you’ve been in that chair, you kind of know that your job is really to keep things off the head coach’s plate and make sure he feels comfortable on game day. You’re making sure that that part of the ball is taken care of. It’s one thing you can alleviate off of his table and make him feel comfortable. Just want to make sure we’re on track with his philosophies and what he wants done and his overall big picture of the plan.”

Have you reached the point of your career where you can choose exactly what you want to contribute to a program?

“Yeah. I think, yeah, in some ways. You never really know, I think, until you get in with people, it’s like where can you contribute the most? I think that’s the first part just trying to get in here and learn the people we had, coaches and players. I’m still learning players and still learning the coaches. I don’t know. We’ll go through it and it’s going to be, I said to Austin (Armstrong), it’s going to be a learning process together going through spring. We’re going to have to be flexible. We’re going to have to be adjustable. We’re going to make the best decisions we can for Florida.”

On his relationship with Austin Armstrong

“Well, when I first went to Louisiana he was my GA (graduate assistant). Then worked closely together. He was a guy who every day in the unit meeting plans and putting all that stuff together. I think obviously the last five years since then I probably talked to him weekly. From when he was at Georgia to back at Louisiana and Southern Miss. His short stint there at Alabama. We’ve always talked weekly. There’s a familiarity with how we see football and how we see constructing the big picture of this thing.”

What is that fingerprint, what’s the signature Ron Roberts-type characteristic?

“One, we’re gonna be multiple. Why? You have to be multiple to have the answers for people in college football nowadays. Two, you’ve gotta be multiple year to year just to make sure you’re taking advantage of what your players do best. You can’t put a square peg in a round hole. You’ve gotta figure out what your players can do really well and make sure you’re calling things or manipulating it to what they’re doing best. Hopefully, you would see, or Florida fans would see what we’re going to field is a fundamentally sound, well-coached, we’re going to adjust the formation, adjust to everything properly. Then you’re going to see our kids play with tremendous effort getting to the football.”

How long will it take you to figure out what you have here?

“I think by the time we go through spring we’ll know where we’re at. What we have to throw out and what we have to put in. what we’ve gotta tweak and how can we get it there.”

Were you aware of the roster at all?

“Probably some of it before I got here. Obviously, Billy shooting me as soon as the decision was made, shooting me rosters and depth charts and where we’re at, those types of things. Me coming in and I watched all of last year. Watched it, and broke down 12 games. Then they did a good job here around having profile tapes of players that didn’t play quite a bit so I could see practice cuts and see them move. Really I spent the first week as just familiarizing myself with the roster.”

What did Florida put on film, what jumped out?

“One would be, I think we will strike and we will play physical up front. I thought there was some youth, you could see it, the confusion. Guys not playing with their hair on fire. I think anytime that happens you’re going to get them to slow down a little bit. Some of it was the youth, I think. I saw a team that runs really well. I think we have the talent. I think we’re very talented, we have edge rushers and kids who can run in the backend. I’m real excited about the roster.”

Does that make it easier in the spring? How much is a complete overhaul vs building on what is already there?

“I said. I think it was in the first defensive staff coming in it was year one of Napier was Patrick Toney. Year two is Austin. We can’t come in and just be, this is not year two and it’s not a rebuilding year. This needs to be year three of Florida football and Billy Napier’s tenure. It needs to look like that. What do we gotta do to clean things up and make it easier for our players to play fast and put them in great situations to play football.”

Are you designing this defense in a way that you’ll be calling plays?

“No, that there is really just all about putting a system together and what our players can do and making sure coaches, we’ve got two new coaches on the side of the ball as well. I’m excited about the coaches. I think we’ve got a really good coaching staff and I’m excited about the guys we’re working with and their level of ability to coach players and their passion to do it with. I think it’s really inspiring and I’m excited to be part of it.”

Compare this situation to any other stops?

“I kind of see it as all when I’m new or coming into a situation I know there’s a lot of familiarity here (with) staff but when I’m new or the new piece to the puzzle to it or coming into a new program, those are all about the same. I think I always say this: any time there’s change, especially in a leadership position, the change, change can be — there’s a hesitation with people and it’s just because it’s the process of the change and unsure of what’s going to happen. It’s my job to put them at ease. We’re here to, one for our players to make this easier, to make it smoother, and to get them to produce better.”

Teacher/leader, which one do you enjoy more?

“I really enjoy the teaching part of it. I enjoy teaching the players. I’m at the age where if you can help them all to get to what their ultimate goals are then you’ve really done a good job. That’s all I want to do is help them get to what their ultimate goals are and where they can get to.”

What is most enjoyable to you?

“Most enjoyable is the relationship with the players. Seeing them go out there one day and they don’t do it. Then you teach them something and you see it appear. To see that whole learning process, I think that’s the real enjoyable for me to be part of. I think that’s what keeps you young and keeps you going on a day-to-day basis.”