Team leaders address Gators after ‘unacceptable’ practice Wednesday

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — After expressing his displeasure with Tuesday’s practice, Florida coach Billy Napier didn’t have better news to report on Wednesday night. He met with the media following the Gators’ latest practice and harped on their approach this week.

It’s clear that he’s not happy with he’s seen from his team coming off the 29-16 win over rival Tennessee, which catapulted UF in the AP top 25 poll.

“There’s a mindset that we’re trying to develop here, to where we can be consistent and not depend on external things to motivate us. And that’s an attitude. That’s a culture and we’re working on that,” Napier said after Wednesday’s practice.

“I think we’ve been a little bit inconsistent in that this week, in my opinion. So, we have a lot of work left to do to get ready to play Saturday.”

The No. 25 Gators (2-1) step out of SEC play for another 7 p.m. home game against Charlotte (1-2) out of the American Athletic Conference.

Perhaps the step down in competition has contributed to Florida’s subpar week of practice. Regardless, Napier isn’t the only one bothered by it.

“It’s not going unnoticed, for sure,” sophomore safety Miguel Mitchell said.

What’s been the issue in recent practices? It sounds like the Gators aren’t practicing with the same intensity they showed during their prep for Tennessee, according to junior EDGE Princely Umanmielen.

“This week, I wouldn’t say it was nothing like we got comfortable or nothing. I just feel like, you know, we’ve just got to go harder,” Umanmielen said. “You know, it was a gloomy day outside today. We had a couple of bad plays.

“I just feel like we’ve just got to go harder. After practice, we all came up as a defense and talked to each other as a team. And, you know, we’re looking to get that fixed.”

Both Umanmielen and sophomore safety Miguel Mitchell said two veteran leaders in particular spoke up after Wednesday’s practice: junior defensive lineman Cam Jackson and redshirt senior linebacker Teradja Mitchell.

Jackson and Mitchell talked to the defensive unit first before addressing all of the players.

“A lot of the leaders stepped up today. They pointed it out. Teradja Mitchell and for example, Cam Jackson, they came up, brought the defense together,” Mitcehll said. “They spoke on, ‘This is not it, we need to step it up, keep building.’ Let’s not go downhill, let’s go uphill.”

Umanmielen added, “Cam Jackson, he was letting everybody know that the way we practiced today is unacceptable. And then Teradja, he was just saying, like, ‘We can’t talk about it. We’ve got to be about it.’ We’ve got to go out there every day. We can’t have two good weeks in a row and then a bad week one week and then another two good weeks. We’ve just got to make sure that we be consistent throughout the entire season.”

After a couple bad practices, Jackson and Mitchell tried to nip it in the bud on Wednesday night. It remains to be seen how the team will take heed to their message, but it was received well by Napier and the players.

“It definitely hit home,” Miguel Mitchell said. “For some of the younger guys, those leaders, it’s big. Just stepping up and having that voice to listen to, because they’ve been here, done that before.”

Umanmielen added, “I think anytime the players have something to say, it really means a lot more because those are the guys that you’re going to war with. And I told the defense, you know, tomorrow we have another opportunity, so we’ve got to come in tomorrow and lock in. The work week is not done.”

As the Gators look to close out the week on a strong note, what will Napier looking for that was missing during Tuesday and Wednesday’s practices?

Consistent improvement.

“I do appreciate the players being vocal about the things that need to be done better, I think that’s a healthy thing,” Napier said. “I think that ultimately we can do better, you know, and I think our expectation is the best that we have. We’re trying to improve, right? … We want a certain consistency here. A culture of competition, and we can do better.

“This group is very much — they have awareness, I think. I think there’s a level of they will tell the truth to each other. I think there’s a camaraderie here and I think an understanding of we agreed to the expectation in the very beginning. And look, if you’re not going about it the right way, expect to be confronted.”

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