Mark Hocke, Montrell Johnson & Jaydon Hill preview 2023 Gators
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Several Gators coaches and players met with reporters this week for their annual media day press conference to mark the start of fall training camp.
In addition to Florida coach Billy Napier, new defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong and offensive coordinator Rob Sale, UF’s associate head coach and director of football strength and conditioning Mark Hocke also met with reporters as well as Montrell Johnson Jr. and Jaydon Hill.
RELATED: Napier, coordinators Armstrong & Sale preview 2023 Florida Gators
Below you can check out what Hocke, Hill and Johnson had to say on media day. The Gators opened camp on Monday, and you can click here for intel from the first practice.
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Mark Hocke evaluates offseason, explains how culture is trending
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“I think the culture is trending, and that’s because of the hard work of this football team. The quickest way to become a dangerous football team is to get your most talented players to have the most intangibles, for them to be the best examples. Without that, it’s a recipe for disaster,” Hocke said. “When you have so many great examples on not just how to catch a football or how to run for a touchdown but how to keep your locker room clean, how to be punctual, how to wear the right uniform, how to be more bought into the team than you’re bought into yourself, it just cleans up a lot of things, and it makes a more cohesive unit and helps you play team football and winning football.
“I think the biggest piece is just the understanding of what the standard and expectations are. I think at the end of the day, everyone wants to do right and wants to try really hard. But sometimes it’s hard to do right when you’re used to doing things a different way. I think there was some resistance. I think we’ve overcome that. I think we’re all on the same page, and much more working as a team, kind of pulling in the same direction. I think that’s kind of where we’re at.”
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![Florida Gators wide receiver Eugene Wilson III (3) hauls in a pass while taking balls from a throwing machine during University of Florida Gators’ Spring football practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, March 28, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]](https://on3static.com/cdn-cgi/image/height=215,width=393,quality=90,fit=cover,gravity=0.5x0.5/uploads/dev/assets/cms/2024/08/01212103/Untitled-design-80.png)
