Linebacker Amari Burney talks new staff, final year with Gators

Florida Gators linebacker Amari Burney is back for his fifth and final season in Gainesville.

Burney has seen three head coaches at UF since he was a recruit. First, it was Jim McElwain who recruited — but never actually coached — Burney. He decided to sign with Dan Mullen and will now play for Billy Napier.

“It wasn’t nothing to it,” Burney told Gators Online and others this week. “I’m very loyal. I made a decision when I first got recruited. Coach McElwain got fired and then coach Mullen became coach. He called me, told me that he wanted me, so I stayed. Billy Napier did the same thing. When he first got here, he sat down with me and asked me what my decision was on it and I told him, ‘I’ll sign all the papers, I’m here.’”

Burney has been impressed with how Napier runs the program. One of the things that stands out about Napier’s approach to the game is his coordination and scheduling.

“Everything is planned out,” Burney said. “When he first got here, he had us write down our schedules and everything we do. Then, we meet with the coaches, and they critique your schedule so that you can be the best player you can be.”

Shortly after being hired at Florida, Napier and his staff met with each and every player to see what his daily schedule was like. Burney was already an early riser and ready for Napier’s mandatory team breakfast.

“I was very good,” Burney said with a smile. “I wake up at 7:30 every day, have breakfast at 7:30 then I got tutoring, lunch, probably take a 30-minute nap, and then I’m back to working.”

Spring practices seem to be significantly different under Napier than they were under Mullen. Players are running from station to station with no breaks — or water — in between.

“Oh man, the structure of the spring ball,” Burney said. “What we’re doing out there on the field, I don’t know how many stations we got, but every time that whistle blows, you’re going to a new station. And you better be ready to work. No downtime. We got two different groups going at the same time, so you ain’t got no breaks.”

The new defense under Patrick Toney

The Gators have a new scheme with co-defensive coordinator Patrick Toney, who came with Napier from Louisiana. Burney is playing inside linebacker in his system.

“Everything coach Patrick — he’s going to adjust to the offense,” Burney said. “Anything they do, he sits down with us and if he wants to change something, he’s going to change it. We all get into the playbook and get ready to play.”

If there’s one word to describe Toney’s defense, it’s aggression.

“We’re going to be aggressive every play we’re out there,” Burney said. “Eleven guys to the ball. If you see somebody slacking, guess what? They’re off the field. We’ll get another guy in there to go be aggressive. … Very high tempo. When we’re out there, everybody is running to the ball.

“If you don’t run to the ball, get off the field. We need another guy to run to the ball. If you can’t run to the ball, get off the field and we’re going to get somebody else in there. Everybody out there, it’s spring practice. We’re out there trying but guess what, push through it and get better every day.”

Amari Burney on Diwun Black and LBs

With the new staff, Diwun Black has transitioned from playing defensive back/safety to linebacker, which is right up Burney’s alley.

Like Black, Burney moved from defensive back to linebacker during his time at UF.

“Black looks good out there,” Burney said. “That DB work, that safety work, that all fits into the linebacker room.”

Burney is one of two returning seniors at inside linebacker, along with Ventrell Miller. And with three highly rated recruits behind them in Black, Derek Wingo and Scooby Williams, Burney believes they will be a productive group.

“We’re going to make some plays,” he said. “I’m going to tell you that right now, we’re going to make a whole bunch of plays.”