Latest / A Peek Inside Gators Football: A Show About the Florida Gators / Florida’s SECRET WEAPON Isn’t Getting Enough LOVE! | Gators Football

Transcript

Florida’s SECRET WEAPON Isn’t Getting Enough LOVE! | Gators Football · A Peek Inside Gators Football: A Show About the Florida Gators

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to a peek inside Gator Football Alley. Peek here.
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: This video is presented to you by PrizePix. Don't forget,
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: new users can download the app, play a $ 5 lineup,
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: and use our code. It's HMA. And if you win,
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: you'll get $ 150 in lineups instantly. Guys, I am really
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: excited about this video. We have talked a lot about
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Aaron Filo. We've talked a lot about Jaden Ball. We've
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: talked a lot about Florida's offensive line and the defense
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: and John Summerall and the physicality of this team. But
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: there is one part of this football team that I
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: don't think is getting nearly enough attention. Now, to be fair,
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: it gets some good attention on this channel, but I
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: think everybody in the country should be talking about it
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: because it's one of the biggest reasons Florida is 4-0
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: right now, and that is special teams. And more specifically,
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: Coach Jonathan Galante, because what Florida is doing on special
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: teams right now is not accidental. It's not just BB3
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: being really fast. It's not one lucky return. It's not
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: one big punt. This has become a legitimate weapon for Florida,
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: and Galante deserves a ton of credit for it. I
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: know that quarterbacks get the clicks and running backs get
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: the clicks, but if you've watched Florida through four games,
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: you know exactly how important this unit has become. Florida's
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: special teams are impacting games, like really impacting football games.
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: We saw it against Ole Miss. There was Obviously, bigger
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: storylines coming out of that game. Florida beat a top-five team.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: They ran for more than 300 yards. Jaden Ball had
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: another monster performance. The Swamp was bonkers. But Florida's special
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: teams had a huge impact on that game. Alec Clark
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: watches a 70-yard punt, and Ole Miss gets pinned at
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: their own two-yard line late in the first half. 70 yards.
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: That completely changes the situation. Instead of Ole Miss getting
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: the football with decent field position and having an opportunity
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: to maybe steal points before halftime, suddenly they're standing basically
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: on their own goal line. That is hidden yardage plays
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: that might not show up in flashy highlights, but coaches
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: love that stuff. Then London Montgomery gives Florida a massive
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: spark in the return game. He had a 74-yard kickoff
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: return in the second half. 74 yards. Think about what
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: that does to an offense. Instead of asking Aaron Filo
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: and the offense to go 75 or 80 yards against
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: the number four team in the country, special teams basically
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: hands them the field. That is enormous, and it is
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: becoming a theme for the skater team. Jonathan Galante came
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: to Florida with John Summerall from Tulane, and from the
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: minute he got here, he talked about special teams being aggressive,
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: not surviving special teams, not just catching the punt. Not
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: just making sure you get 11 guys on the field,
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: although I am incredibly grateful that he's doing that, but
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: actually attacking on special teams. His philosophy when he got
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: here was basically, if the ball's returnable, return it. Look
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: for opportunities to steal possessions, create explosive plays, block kicks,
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: flip field position, change momentum. And four games into the season,
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: that is exactly what Florida is doing. Think back to
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: the Campbell game. Vernell Brown III takes a punt 64
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: yards for a touchdown. And then they punt to him again.
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: I kind of wanted to drug test their coach on
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: the sidelines. But then he takes that one 70 yards
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: for another touchdown. Back-to-back punt returns for touchdowns. That hasn't
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: happened at Florida since Jacquez Green did it in 1996.
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: VB3 finished with 173 official punt return yards in that game,
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: which broke Brandon James' Florida punt record. And Florida hasn't
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: even returned a punt for a touchdown since Kadarius Toney
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: did it in 2020. Suddenly they get two in basically
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: a matter of minutes. I think it was like three minutes.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: That's not normal. And yes, VB3 deserves a ton of
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: credit because he is obviously an unbelievable athlete. You still
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: have to make people miss. You still have to see
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: the field. You still have to have that burst to
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: hit the crease. But go back and watch those returns.
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: Look at the blocking. Look at the lanes. Look at
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: how organized it looks. Guys aren't just running around hoping
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: somebody misses a tackle. There is a plan. And that's
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: where Jonathan Galante comes in. I really think he has
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: been one of the most underrated hires John Summerall made
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: when he came to Florida. This guy has a great
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: track record. At Tulane last year, his special teams finished
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: ninth in the country in ESPN's special teams efficiency rankings. Ninth.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: They were 14th in the SP Plus special teams. He
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: was nominated for the Broyles Award, which goes to the
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: best assistant coach in college football. Before that, he was
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: the special teams coordinator at Marshall. And when he got there,
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: Marshall's special teams had been ranked 74th nationally. But his
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: final season, they were 24th. That's a massive improvement. And
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: when he was at Marshall, Jaden Harrison became one of
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: the best return specialists in college football. In 2023, Harrison
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: led the entire FBS with 31.9 yard kickoff return average
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: and had two kickoff returns for touchdowns. So when Vernell
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: Brown starts doing what he's doing at Florida, probably worth
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: paying attention to the fact that this coach has done
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: this before. He has developed return units that create explosive plays.
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: He has developed specialists. He has made special teams matter
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: everywhere he's been. And before all of that, Galante spent
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: four years at Alabama as a special teams analyst under
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: Nick Saban. Before Alabama, he was at Virginia Tech. And
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: I think that Virginia Tech part is really interesting because
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: Galante actually played at Virginia Tech. Think about the tradition there.
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: Frank Beamer, Beamer Ball, the original special teams guru. Special
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: teams were never treated as an afterthought at Virginia Tech.
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: They were part of the identity of program. You could
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: win games on special teams. You could change games on
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: special teams. You could put pressure on another team every
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: single time they lined up to punt. That mentality matters.
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: And now you pair that with John Summerall, who clearly
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: believes the exact same thing, That's the other part of this.
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: You can hire the best special teams coordinator in America,
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: but if the head coach doesn't actually care about it,
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: then there's only so much the guy can do. Summerall
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: cares a lot. Galante has talked about how involved Summerall
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: is with special teams. Florida starts practices with special teams work.
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: That tells you something. Urban used to do that too.
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: It isn't a thing you squeeze in at the end
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: if you have five minutes left. It's a part of
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: the program. And I think we're seeing the payoff. One
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: of the things John Summerall said after those Vernell Brown
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: touchdowns against Campbell really stuck with me. When you score
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: on special teams, your chances of winning go way up. Well, yeah,
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: because those are points your offense didn't have to earn.
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: Your defense didn't have to create a turnover. You actually
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: like stole those points. And special teams can do the
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: same thing without scoring as well. 70-yard punt that puts
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: somebody at the two, well, you stole field position. 74
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: yard kickoff return. You stole field position, a big punt
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: return that puts your offense across midfield. You just made
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: life a lot easier for everybody else. That's why I
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: think sometimes when we look at the scoreboard and we say, wow,
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: Florida's offense scored 52 points or Florida's defense gave up X, Y,
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: Z number of points. And we forget that there is
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: a third part of the game that affects both of
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: those units. We're going to take a quick break from
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: this video to give some love to our partners over
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: at Alumni Hall. Guys, do not forget to use our code.
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: It's PEAK15, P-E-E-K-1-5. It's going to save you 15% off
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: online at alumnihall.com and in-store at their store location in
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: Gainesville on Archer Road. Make sure you check them out.
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: They've got all the latest brands you're looking for. Nike,
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: Peter Millar, Cutter & Buck, Jordan, literally everything you're possibly
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: looking for. Make sure you tell them Allie sent you
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: and use that code PEAK15. We appreciate Alumni Hall for
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: all their support. Special teams can make the offense look
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: better because the offense is starting with better field position.
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: It can make the defense's job easier because the opponent
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: has to drive 90 yards instead of 55. And Florida
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: is starting to win those little battles over and over again.
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: I also think there's a psychological part to this. Put
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: yourself in the other team's shoes. You're punting to Florida,
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: and VB3 is standing back there. You know what he
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: did against Campbell. Now maybe your punter starts trying to
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: kick the ball away from him. So now you're sacrificing distance.
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: Maybe you kick it out of bounds. Maybe your coverage
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: team starts pressing because they know one mistake could be
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: six points. That changes things. Or you're returning a punt
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: against Alec Clark. You know he can flip the entire field.
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: So now suddenly your offense is starting at its own five.
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: Special teams can put pressure on you without technically putting
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: points on the scoreboard. And this group is doing that.
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: I also want to talk about Patrick Durkin because he
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: followed Galante and Summerall from Tulane, and there was a
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: reason Florida wanted him. Last year at Tulane, he made
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: 25 of 28 field goals. That's nearly 90%. He was
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: the AAC Special Teams Player of the Year. A freshman All-American,
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: he made four kicks from 50-plus yards. Then Alec Clark
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: comes over with him as well after averaging 46.5 yards
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: per punt at Tulane. So Galante didn't come to Gainesville
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: and say, all right, we're going to figure out special
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: teams later. He and Summerall went and got the guys
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: they trusted, guys who already knew how they wanted this
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: phase of the game to operate. And I think that
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: matters when you're trying to change a culture quickly. You
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: bring in people who already understand the standard. Now everybody
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: else sees it. And that is how you build something.
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: The thing I appreciate about Galante the most probably is
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: his aggressiveness. There is a huge difference between saying, dear Lord,
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: please don't mess up on special teams, and saying, let's
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: go win on special teams. Those are two totally different approaches.
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: One is cautious. The other puts pressure on the opponent.
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: Florida is putting pressure on people. And that's what makes
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: this group so fun to watch. You actually pay attention
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: when the other team punts now, because something might happen.
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: That's how Florida special teams used to feel. People remember
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: Brandon James. People remember those Urban Meyer teams. There was
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: an expectation that special teams could change games. And Galanti
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: has openly talked about respecting that history at Florida. There
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: is a program that has elite kickers. Florida is it.
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: Elite punters. Elite returners. And for a long time, special
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: teams were a part of what made Florida Florida. It
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: wasn't just offense and defense. It was everything. And Galanti
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: seems determined to bring that mentality back. Now, four games
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: is four games. I understand that. I'm not telling you
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: Florida's suddenly going to return two punts for a touchdown
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: every Saturday. Obviously not. But you don't need that. What
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: you need is special teams to consistently create advantages. 10
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: yards here, 20 yards there. Pin somebody deep. Break one
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: big return. Make your kicks. Don't make stupid mistakes. And
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: every once in a while, hit the home run. That's
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: what we're starting to see. And when you're talking about
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: games against good SEC teams, those little things become huge.
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: Florida beat Auburn 44-39. That's a five-point game. A special
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: team's play can decide that. Florida has Texas coming, Georgia, Oklahoma, FSU.
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: And at some point, Florida is probably going to find
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: itself in a game where the difference is one possession.
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: And maybe the play that wins the game isn't a
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: Philo touchdown pass. Maybe it's a punt down at the one.
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: Maybe it's a 45-yard return. Maybe it's a blocked kick.
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: Maybe it's a field goal at the buzzer. That's why
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: this is so important. And it's also why I think
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: Jonathan Galante deserves more attention. Coordinators usually get attention when
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: something goes wrong. Special teams coordinators really get attention when
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: something goes wrong. Maybe you miss a kick. Everybody notices.
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: Or you give up a return. Everybody notices. God forbid
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: you have 10 guys on the field. Everyone, I'll be
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: the first one, are noticing. But when special teams are
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: consistently good, sometimes we just move on to the next play.
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: I don't think we should do that with this group.
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: Galante has taken something that could simply be a supporting
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: piece of Florida football, and he has turned it into
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: a legitimate advantage. And I think that says something bigger
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: about John Summerall's program too. Florida isn't 4-0 because of
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: one player. They're not 4-0 because they found some magic
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: offensive play. They are winning in a bunch of different ways.
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: The offensive line is playing better. The run game is physical.
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: Viola is protecting the football. The defense is making timely plays.
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: And special teams are actually changing things. That is complementary football.
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: That is what good teams do. And when you look
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: at everything Galante has done before Florida, none of this
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: should really surprise us. He produced one of the best
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: special teams units in the country at Tulane. He improved
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: Marshall dramatically. He coached elite return specialists. He worked under
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: Nick Saban. And he came through Virginia Tech. And now
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: four games into his first season at Florida, Well, we
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: are already seeing his fingerprints everywhere. Vernell Brown to the house, twice.
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: Alec Clark flipping the field. London Montgomery ripping off a
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: 74-yard kickoff return against a top-five team. And an overall
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: mentality that says special teams aren't just a break between
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: offense and defense. They are an opportunity. An opportunity to
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: steal yards, to steal momentum, to steal possessions, sometimes to
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: steal points. And maybe even steal a game. So yes,
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: Jaden Baugh has been fantastic. Aaron Filo has been wonderful.
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: John Summerall deserves all the praise he is getting. But
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: if we are talking about why this Florida team feels different,
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: Jonathan Galanti needs to be a part of that conversation.
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: Because Florida's special teams aren't just better. They have an identity.
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: They're aggressive. They're confident. And they're becoming one of the
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: biggest weapons that this team has. And I don't think
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: that's an accident at all. Let me know what you
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: guys think. Has special teams been the most underrated improvement
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: on this Florida team? And how much credit are you
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: giving Jonathan Galante for what we've seen through the first
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: four games? Let me know down in the comments. Make
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: sure you like this video. Make sure you are subscribed
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: to the channel. We appreciate you guys for all your support.
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: And we appreciate PrizePix for their support as well. Don't forget,
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: download the app. New users can play a $ 5 lineup
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: and use our code. It's HMA. And if you win,
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: you'll get $ 150 in lineups. instantly. We appreciate prize picks.
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: Thanks for tuning in and as always go Gators.