Viral spring clips have Florida Football fans excited. How much of it will translate?

Clips all spring have showcased a renewed energy for the Gators
Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun / USA
facebooktwitterreddit

The national narrative surrounding Florida Football is that the Gators shouldn't bother to take the field in 2024. Their schedule is difficult, a bunch of key players left, and Billy Napier was terrible at Goldeneye 64 when he was in college (we're assuming someone is working on that piece).

But if Florida is supposed to be a dead man walking, no one has delivered that memo to Gainesville as all spring there has been a sense of energy we haven't seen.

Now the question is whether it will translate to the fall?

Florida Football: You Just Have To Believe

We here at Hail Florida Hail have expressed some of our own concerns, including the fact that Florida will be entering the 2024 campaign with the third least Power Five experience among the coaching staff in the SEC.

Two of those fresh faces though have been making the most noise and have brought the most energy during the 2024 spring camp.

People noticed right away defensive backs coach WIll Harris putting his own body on the line to run the Gators through tackling drills on day one of camp.

Fellow newcomer Gerald Chatman drew eyeballs this week with the energy and intensity he was displaying during the open session for practice.

Once able to hit others and not just pads and machines, this renewed energy seems to be getting through to the Florida defense.

In a clip posted by X user International_P1987, freshman DB Teddy Foster can be seen wrapping up and bringing down Tre Wilson with authority.

Chatman and Harris replaced Sean Spencer and Corey Raymond. Inside The Gators recently had quotes from an anonymous player that hinted the latter two weren't exactly all in with the Gators last season.

If energy and accountability on the defense was an issue last season, that seems to have been remedied by Billy Napier.

But now the question becomes how much of this will translate to the fall.

Trey Dean for example could lay the boom as well as anyone, but general coverage issues stunted him from reaching his full potential. The same could be said for Scooby Williams last season.

Thus the energy and the tackling are two pieces of the puzzle the Gators are trying to improve upon for 2024.

But considering those puzzle pieces went missing in 2023, Florida fans are excited that at least this years coaching staff knows they exist.

feed