This Is… The Swamp | Raising The Bar

This Is… The Swamp Is Presented by Wells Fargo

In this episode, Late Kick Live’s Josh Pate pays a visit to Gainesville to speak with Head Coach Billy Napier & Quarterback Graham Mertz.

To have success on the field, you first must identify the players you need to do so. The Personnel department gives a behind the scenes look of what goes into their evaluation process when recruiting future Gators.

Official visit season is upon us, and the On-Campus Recruiting staff is hard at work. We get an inside look at the process of planning a visit weekend as well as all the details and tasks that have to be taken care of during the week in order for the weekend to be a hit.

It all starts in the weight room, and new Head of Football Strength & Conditioning Tyler Miles knows what hard work looks like. He and his staff implement their plan to prepare the Gators for the upcoming season during summer workouts.

Lastly, we head down Gator Walk and into The Swamp for a conditioning test, while Derek Wingo, Joey Slackman, Austin Barber & RJ Moten tell us what it’s going to take for the Gators to have success in the fall.

0:00 Josh Pate Visits The Gators
3:32 Personnel Department
9:47 On-Campus Recruiting Department
17:56 Strength. & Conditioning
25:44 Conditioning Test in The Swamp
#GoGators #ThisIsTheSwamp

it’s late kick live here high top kind of Gainesville Florida we are at the University of Florida Tuesday April 16th year of Our Lord 2024 I got some spring Intel to deliver you we got Billy Napier Florida head coach one-on-one on the show tonight he do shy away from it I asked him about a lot of stuff you guys talk about and he looked me in the eye and answered it and kind of looked you in the eye and answered it I think if someone who had never coached before took your job they’ probably freak out week to week based on whether things went well or didn’t go well but you can’t do that so how do you decide when it’s time to make changes versus let’s give it some time let’s be patient well I think ultimately you know this is a production business you know I think sometimes uh we get consumed with the result but we’ve got to really uh think about the efficiency you know um the leadership in certain areas a new teacher a new Bo it’s Florida you know if you’re my age if you’re a generation earlier or a generation older which is a vast majority of the American public now that logo represents greatness whether it was spier or whether it was the temp tibo era it represents something that was throughout maybe our childhood nothing’s changed like it absolutely could be that again and you’ve always got that voice in the back of your mind of is this the group that takes Florida back to where I grew up knowing Florida how you doing doing good good to see you to see you doing great year three it’s your thumb print on the program you want one heartbeat like you want one identity in a team and you want to be the one that cast the vision and hopefully those guys bought into it you’ve got that in the building now we want to win and for us it’s how do we find little details of what we do on a daily basis to to push the guys on this team to just go try to win every single game and have that be our mindset so the way last year ended was not something anyone wanted it could end up being one of the biggest blessings that this group could have ever found themselves in it is very easy to be together when you win but you also don’t know how shakable you are until you go through the tough times this dude and this dude were by my side then they’re going to be by my side this fall if they’re still here now I don’t have to worry about whether I can trust them we’ve already been through all that together you know Gram Merz got interviewed intered uh recently on Paul Fine bomb’s show and they ask him about that um and I think his point the way he said it was you know we’re not worried about proving others wrong we’re worried about proving each other right and I think ultimately the makeup of our team right now is what gives me confidence the main thing is how do we set ourselves up for success in what 4 months like we got we got a lot of work we got to do but we’re ready for it the one thing you got to remember is while the rest of the world’s telling you who you’ve got to play to make sure that that locker room knows that means they got to play Florida and what is Florida in 2024 that’s what you get to Define you don’t control anything else you do control what Florida 2024 means and it may very well mean that those folks on that schedule got a much bigger task on their hands than they ever thought they had so when we’re talking about Trey you know I think one of the unique things about him um for being a you can see here his measurements 510 quar 165 that was something that came up in the evaluation process several times but the thing that stands out for him his ability to play through contact and to play with a level of toughness and the the demeanor that he plays with yes sir our job as a Personnel Department we take pride in helping the coaching staff put together a roster right so we have a a set of principles and a plan that we go by that we believe in from a roster construction standpoint and our job is to help our staff become efficient in the evaluation and the recruiting process take a look at a couple his plays I mean this guy is extremely fun to watch just like on Saturdays right so his high school tape you know going back we used to especially his senior year just talking about how fun and electric he is as a player and I think what’s unique about him the way he attacks the football right like the ability to catch catch the ball away from his body strong hands strong hands he attacks it very polished too it definitely has a route Runner I think it’s Unique as well this guy he’s he’s a one play touchdown right that’s what we say so like he can take any any ball right and and have the ability to make a big play I was surprised the confidence that he plays with uh as well yeah like he he’s comfortable with making those type plays and absorbing those hits at that size his ability to set guys up stick his foot in the ground like for us we’re a big uh height weight speed you know verified height verified weight verified speed verified length uh operation right so we believe in traits and movements what are the traits What are the movements and then getting the verified measurements verified speed um we believe in you know tall long uh big athletes right so taking a look at Jordan you know I think as a DB and the fact that he played corner and safety right the his ability to play across the secondary was something that stood out in the evaluation process but also his size right at 62205 his height and length was something that for us was a plus play on the ball here yeah you see the range for sure that was something that stood out for him his his instincts right and then the range that he’s able to play with in the post see how Flor is in his pedal as he transitions into to the drive yeah I think for us we try to bet on that’s what we say the traits and the movements right and then we try to bet on that so that in the through the development process from when they get here we believe enough in our football plan and the plan that our coaches have in their ability to develop prospects that if we can identify guys with traits um and bed on those traits and those movements that those guys will be able to see the field fast because of the development that we have um from a coaching and a weight room standpoint it never stops because these kids are constantly growing right so their bodies are Everlasting changing and so we just try to take all that into account and just keep evaluating throughout the year to help us make those decisions collectively doesn’t take long to realize he’s a he’s a Difference Maker um soon as you turn the film on it’s a a couple plays in and yeah he’s he’s real at this level You’ got to start early right and that’s uh one thing with the sign and day moving up um and potentially moving up again the clock really just starts earlier and earlier so you really want to have your ducks in row starting really after their freshman season I know that’s early but that’s just kind of the the day and age now the make you miss ability to make a play when there’s not one and when he’s one-onone in space like good luck trying to tackle this guy uh it’s kind of like just never stops you know it’s not really any breaks you’re always evaluating you’re always recruiting you’re always getting guys on campus in December we’ll be signing the class of 25 and like me and Lamar were already looking at guys in the class of 2020 eight guys that they just played their freshman season of high school so you’re you’re always looking two three four years ahead for the next guy and it just never ends it’s really exciting I think cuz you can really help change these kids’ lives I mean you know a kid might not have anything going in terms of offer wise for uh for any University across the country but all it takes is one of our students that we call the gunit um that are assigned to each coach all it takes is for them to come across their film come across their ground Lev combine film um you go with the measurements um you look for all the athletic ability all the measurements and see if you want that to Merry up and if it does that’s all it takes for us to get the ball rolling on any given Prospect we don’t sign off on a guy until there’s conviction and he checks a certain amount of boxes right so like for us that helps minimize the risk that you’re taking by being as thorough and detailed as you can in the evaluation process outside of the physical traits which I think is uh equally important if not more important is the genetic makeup of that player right you’re talking about the the instincts the intelligence the character the toughness and the durability and obviously the the person right you want to be able to have that person uh fit the culture in in your building for us I think that’s where we’ve made the most strides here in our three years at Florida is is really focusing in on the type of player that that believes in in in our core values and and in what coach Nate mission is uh here at Florida you know we say all the time you get what you attract right so I think coach Napier’s uh message and his vision is carried out through the staff and that’s the type of players that we attract who want to be a part of that let me say this I I think when you get to a day like today realization is it takes a team of people you know we’ve got great people uh in our Personnel Department uh we’ve got really really good people in the back there I can’t compliment them enough relative to the evaluation process the roster management process you know the oncampus recruiting U Department you know Brie Wade was exceptional um we added scholar wise to the mix here uh halfway through the process there and she did a great job and certainly Katie Turner’s leadership in that recruiting strategy uh role uh across the board again another Allstar that is a differen maker and I think we all U can agree to that I’m definitely a big believer that everything happens for a reason and it might sound cheesy but you know from Buffalo New York I’m very proud of that and I came down South for college I have four roommates and one of them works for the football program and she was a senior when I was a freshman she said you know you should really apply for this position with the football program the second I got into it I I fell in love with the process and what it takes to put a team together I’ve just always been around Sports always had a love for it always appreciated it and I never really knew that there was room or space for women in sports but soon found out that there were I got involved um with the student recruiting group um at my undergraduate institution and just absolutely fell in love with working in sports working in football how fast-paced it was the recruiting process I mean I just absolutely fell in love with it and I knew that’s what I wanted to do the rest of my life so originally I was a teaching major because I knew I wanted to be with around kids like I wanted to help like I wanted to be a small part in someone’s Journey that really fills my soul I just love I love people I love relationships and that’s really what recruiting is and so I feel like that’s why I do what I do and then it would be like a 9:00 a.m. toart 9:30 breakfast so now we’re at like 10:30 a.m. am you are only as good as the person next to you and I feel that way with our department I feel that way amongst our staff I think that it is a team sport um it’s a team sport on the football field and it’s a team sport you know as staff members the SC on yours Shamar wait Shamar what did you get I beat Katie is the absolute juice I mean that girl shows up bright and early in the morning with so much energy no I just flipped they told me to put my Sun Passes on while I drove Katie is the ray of sunshine in this place the first OB weekend has commenced so if everyone can stand for the national anthem I just kind of let Bri cook like she she is so creative welcome to Skyler is also quite a personality she’s so funny um she does an incredible job again of like making everyone feel welcomed everyone feel at home I mean she’s an incredible extension of Katie and myself I mean where we can’t be what we can’t see Skyler is on it so um I think we make an incredible Team all together we’re all very likeminded we’re all really similar we all are pulling in the same direction we have the same goals there’s just nothing like deterring our bond he hits view first 10:30 we’re kind of in between 11:30 position meeting get settled in get water Gatorade you know Bri Skyler and I will we’ll get together in Bree’s office cuz she has this great whiteboard and we will just do our brainstorming sessions like we can pretty much squeeze in a 215 M we work so well hand inand where we’re locked away in a strategy room and sometimes we’re finishing each other’s thoughts we’re like why are you in my brain we say it all the time like get out of my brain because we’re finishing each other’s thoughts we’re like that’s exactly what I was thinking so I just think we we have a great team chemistry oh so maybe they do need to wake up earlier cuz then that would go until 12:30 the attention to detail one if you don’t have it your weekend can fall apart like that our recruiting analysts are definitely the unsung heroes of the recruiting department so we’re packing some SV packs for the weekend so when the families get in the car and their host go pick them up the guys have like some snacks details are really important so just making sure like she said making sure that if they like a certain snack that we have that option for them or you know when they walk in they see you know things that they like to eat they inventory the lanyards and the credentials before we even have to ask to make sure we’re never running low they’re inventorying the envelopes to make sure we’re never running low and all of our cards and they’re organizing it all and they’re making the labels like they just have done an amazing job okay so dinner at the okono center um so we mostly have like our student station but pretty much if you that dinner is Breeze baby she plans it from top to bottom it really is one of our coolest venues that we have to be able to eat in there are we doing gold or silver let’s do gold well what looks like we have more it looks like we have more silver yeah let’s do silver definitely our Friday night dinners kick off pretty much the weekend so we start with the welcome reception and then we move into the photo shoot but it’s really that first dinner where we’re actually able to sit down with one another that sets the tone for the entire weekend I love official visits I love official visits okay like there is just nothing like an OV the lighting in there the plants and the palm trees and the tables and we love the details in recruiting you want it to feel like like Disney when someone walks in right it’s like No guest is ever holding a door of their own it just looks amazing there’s so much that goes into it and it’s just yeah it’s our game days something that coach Napier really emphasizes is the human element of everything and he just talks about how important relationships are how important it is to be genuine and authentic because I mean truly these prospects their families they see through that like they can tell what’s real they can tell what’s fake so it’s just so important to have a genuine authentic relationship with them and to build it um and then also to maintain it when it comes down to it who do you really have relationships with and who do you have relationships with with them matter relationships are quite literally why I do my job their parents have to know my kid is taken care of when they come here whether that be their recruiting staff the nutrition staff the weight staff the coaching staff like Whoever Whenever Whatever you doing the job mommy she’s doing the job all of these student athletes are so driven to be a and be the best of the best and be the best in their respective field and I feel like every single day I need to bring it too because there’s no other option I’m at the point of my career where I have had you know guys that I helped recruit or I was a part of their recruiting process that are now you know in the [Music] NFL we 49ers have a few guys that are family men they’ve started they’re married they’ve started their families and it’s just really rewarding and it’s something like super fulfilling about knowing that you met them as this wide-eyed high schooler that was just super excited just to take the next step in their journey and just knowing you played even a small piece in his journey it’s just it’s it’s nothing like it for yeah it definitely gets me relaxed and clear my mind I just turn on some music and think about what’s coming the day but even though I’m thinking about what’s coming the day just being on the bike and riding in and listening to music that I love to listen to Just it clears my mind it calms me you know as much as we need to be go go go all the time as strength coaches riding a motorcycle especially when there’s no one on the road and it’s that early it’s just you out there and there’s really no other cars around that you can kind of just be your own thoughts and think about everything you need to think about and plan and prepare but all at the same time just relax yourself think about the day to get going what we need to do what’s the goals of the day what changes do we need to make from the previous week on this day get ready to meet with the guys on the Whiteboard to talk with them about any changes and what we need to accomplish today just the challenges is what make it fun and exciting um but then also like I mean come to work get history anchors to the Florida Gators I mean this is a lot of people’s dream and I never forget that housekeeping just regiment points remind them that these sport science tests are getting points if they get the highest number right I’ll just remind them of that yeah honestly we probably meet too much but I just believe in being and overprepared that comes from my father you know we met every single day at the family company so it just helps something could have changed overnight you know a thought could have come up or like hey we noticed this yesterday evening with the Players let’s let’s change this in the L let’s change this in the run so we meet every single day to make sure we know exactly one how things need to be coached you know we need to be on the same page we’re giving the same cues or techniques and making sure that it’s getting done the right way that we want it to be done both in lifting and running and then two it allows us to make any changes together as a group cuz I’m not going to just make changes on my own because that’s not what this is this is a staff this is all of us working together so it allows us that opportunity to make and Converse one last time before the day gets going to make any necessary changes all right again coach what’s going to get you guys your metrics all right I have a phenomenal staff that I can rely on and lean on and also try and put them in the you know they run a large part of the lifts and the runs and the warm-ups let’s go Business Week all right y already know what time it is here we [Applause] go get on down this gives them a chance to hear from someone else’s perspective or angle or coaching technique or coaching cues it still gives me that opportunity to coach and not just run things now look let’s cut to the chase here your new your new strength coach is Tyler miles me and a couple guys me and a couple leaders went up to coach Na and said hey like I don’t really want another guy in there besides coach Tyler he’s been running it for a couple weeks you know I think we went up there and said I think he’s the best for us he’s been pushing us he’s been getting us on the right path and I think it was one of the best decisions for him to be able to stay and be the Str Coach man I could not be more proud to be with you men right you guys know I love you I’m going to push the hell out of you but you guys know it’s for your best interest all right coach Tyler miles is a guy who you know cares about this program who has pride in this program and who cares about his players someone who will listen and and wants to do what’s right for you not only tell us what we need to do but he’ll tell us what we need to hear uh especially if you’re if it feels like you’re dogging it in the weight room they tell you to pick it up if it feels like you’re doing it well bring other guys along with you all right family on me family on three 1 2 3 you’re a direct reflection of who you spend the most time with and I want these young men to be a direct reflection of me and the strength steps go was Jesse arriman but he’s highly intelligent has a lot of wisdom get ready man get ready get ready still to be very demanding and push and toughen these guys up Jake Sanko is’s also our director of nutrition the best nutritionist that I have ever worked with and then he’s a really good strength coach you got Coach awt Alex Watkins he’s a really good coach and can also be very Stern demanding he’s not afraid to tell the honest truth you know that’s what young men need a lot of times just hired Jason Jones Jason does a great job you know can rely on him to hold these guys accountable to push them Rod Hill you know he’s our director of sports science he and I built the sports science system together so when I got promoted it was it was a no-brainer that’s who we need to hire fro gosip he’s on the sport Science staff bar was moving fast yesterday fellas the train fromont Squad it’s good to see it’s good to see the guys responding responding to the training so he knows also exactly what I’m looking for how my brain works and lastly you got Reed Roberts so you got three guys down there that they respect and they’ll listen to and it’s already showing up in our results we’re hitting a lot of new good numbers it’s not how you motivate yourself it’s how your brothers motivate you you know we’re a very tight-knit crew every day is going to be hard regardless but you always have your brother to lean on more I but I had to work more compition everything I way from an effort standpoint it’s it’s completely off the charts you know you see guys you know coming and pushing themselves to limits that you know theyve never seen before you know things that guys have never lifted before ever ran before speeds top speeds you know top lifts you know at the end of the day these kids love to compete so now they see all these records up there and all the tests that we do all the combine tests all the weightlifting tests and all the sport Science T it all matters and when they break the record it’s not myself or a strength coach writing in their name and their number they go up and they wipe out the guy’s name that was in there and they get to write in their name and their number and then hopefully in 10 to 15 years they come back here and it’s still they can remember that day where they broke that record they wrote in their name wrote in their number it’s their handwriting it’s it’s not mine it’s theirs cuz at end of the day this is their team and that is their record board if we put the work in the success will come we put in the effort we put in everything because we know that we have goals that we want to you know achieve coming up you we built that leadership the core leaders among the team along with the rest of the group following along we all know what the mission is you know we all know what the standard needs to [Music] be the swamp is a different animal you know when you walk in there you get chills regardless if there’s 93,000 and it’s just you know so much history has been made there and um there’s so much you know Blood Sweat and Tears that have been in been in that stadium and you know it’s a it’s honor to be able to play in there right and now imagine going out in front of 93,000 people and be able to compete and do the thing that you love every day and you know I think that’s that’s the mentality when you walk in there you know to uphold the standard to do things the right way we we have to protect our home and now that we’re in there for a couple every Wednesday for how many weeks we’re going to be in there I think it’s urgency of more and more protect our home we really have built that sense of urgency especially because we’re getting closer to the season now too and uh every day it’s just you know raising that bar raising that bar we just got to turn it up one more Notch I mean we know like I think it’s like 80 some days now but in the blink of an eye like it was just Spring ball we just played spring game blink of an eye snap we’re going to be walking down that Gator Walk For Real [Music] being able to go in the swamp and do something like that seeing seeing those SEC championships seeing those national championships up it’s like hey we got to pick it up it’s it’s time to work it’s time to it’s time to get going it’s time to push each other and I think that’s the motivation that that we needed is just you know just to understand what’s been built and the opportunity that we have to do together as a team locky luck hey hey take your second to realize where you are hey we’re in the swamp right we’re in the swamp you know having pride in not only yourself not only in your last name and not only just in your teammates but in this University and just you know understanding that it means something uh to have that Gator on your chest it means something to run out in this the swamp with 93,000 um and I think that’s the difference we care we care so much we’ve been through so much and we just want to push each other to the limits right we want to be able to be successful and we want to be able to put a number on that wall everyone’s here is living a dream that they always always wished and you know it’s every single day you’re you’re working towards that dream that you’ve always [Music] wanted you know as we keep chipping at it as we keep getting closer to August 31st we’re just going to keep climbing that mountain and I think you know we’re going to be able to see the results that we want oh take pride in this take pride every single second a step on this field go hey G on me G on three 1 2 3 [Music]