The Florida football program has made many changes to its football staff as of late, with head coach Billy Napier at the forefront of making the hard decision to move on from certain coaches.
Now it’s being reported by Gators Online that UF athletic director Scott Stricklin and Napier have always been on the same page when it comes to making these moves, such as parting ways with secondary coach Corey Raymond and defensive line coach Sean Spencer.
Stricklin gave an exclusive interview with Gators Online, detailing his relationship with Napier and when they considered what moves to make in the offseason.
“Our regular communication during the season is pretty frequent, right? We see each other. I stop by and talk to him at least once a week in addition to other run-ins,” Stricklin said. “We sat down midweek during the open date and started having some of those more in-depth conversations and those are some things that were on his mind back then even. And so, this wasn’t something like, end of the season, ‘OK, now it’s time to evaluate.’ It’s a constant evaluation.”
Stricklin added that he understands how Napier operates and that he’s always quick to realize what’s holding back his team from winning.
“Billy is almost maniacal in the way he evaluates things. And so, when fans get frustrated with an area and they want to comment and express their opinion, they don’t ever need to be concerned, ‘Does Billy realize this is a problem?’ Because he’s probably realized it’s a problem before it showed up out there on the field.”
It appears that evaluations are still taking place for the Florida Gators and there may be more moves ahead. Napier already brought on Ron Roberts as co-defensive coordinator and the linebackers head coach. Roberts also earned the moniker of executive head coach for defense.
The rebuild continues for Florida football all offseason, so stay tuned for more updates, especially as national signing day approaches.
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