Earnest Graham Clears Air on 'Disconnect' with Florida Gators

Florida Gators legend Earnest Graham saw his son Myles sign with his alma mater, only to see upheaval the very next day. How new linebacker coach Ron Roberts helped calm the situation.

The Gainesville Sun Big School Defense Player of the Year and Florida Gators Signee linebacker Myles Graham. / Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner / USA TODAY

When four-star linebacker Myles Graham signed his National Letter of Intent to play for the Florida Gators, a feeling of elation swept across Gator Nation. 

The highly-recruited son of former running back Earnest Graham, Florida’s fifth all-time leading rusher, was the first commit of the 2024 class and became the first signee. However, a little over 24 hours later, the celebration quickly became a stressor.

Linebackers coach Jay Bateman, Myles’s primary recruiter, had suddenly left Florida for a defensive coordinator position at Texas A&M, leaving the Gators and its three linebacker signees without a position coach just a day after early signing day. 

In a now-deleted post to his “X” account,” Earnest alleged a disconnect in communication between the current staff and his son following Bateman’s departure. 

"My son was raised to understand the business as it exists but there has been new levels of disconnect with this program that I have NEVER ever experienced," he wrote at the time. "No calls, no communication and the dryest [sic] experience imaginable. I’m just going to START there." 

Now five months since the sudden coaching change and his public reaction, Earnest took time to reflect on the situation and gave his thoughts on new linebackers coach Ron Roberts in an exclusive interview with Gators Illustrated. 

“Coach Roberts is phenomenal," said Earnest. "I think we have a phenomenal staff at UF. I never want people to construe what I think of Billy (Napier). I think Billy’s an amazing leader. The things that we appreciate, the coach that he is, the father that he is, Coach Roberts is the some. I love the way he communicates with my son.

“In the moment, I was being a dad. I had my opinion about the situation like everyone else. Listen, I’m 100% a diehard Gator, and I love where the program is at right now.”

He certainly isn’t the first to speak highly of Florida’s new linebackers coach, who also holds the title of Executive Head Coach and Co-Defensive Coordinator. Defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong, who happened to be Roberts’s graduate assistant in 2018 while at Louisiana. 

Armstrong gave his praises during Florida’s spring camp. 

“I think Coach Roberts is one of the best football coaches in America," Armstrong said. "That was not an option to add him to our team in the initial cycle. The opportunity to add somebody who is one of the best football coaches in America to our staff and collaborate with is a blessing to say the least. Our agenda here is to create the best defense in college football, and you do that by hiring smart, capable, competent people and we couldn’t have gotten anybody better than him.”

Roberts has been entrusted to help improve a struggling Florida defense that ranked 69th in the country in yards per game (382.2), 75th in points per game (27.58) and 100th in turnover margin (-5). 

Previously the defensive coordinator at Auburn, Roberts’ defense ranked ahead of Florida in all three of the previously mentioned categories and were ranked top-25 in third-down defense and first-downs allowed while ranking No. 1 in the SEC in red zone defense.

“We wanna stop the run, we wanna be efficient, we wanna get off the field on third down. I mean those are the basic parameters,” Roberts said during spring practice. “And we want to make sure your calls are based upon those things. Especially facing great coaches in the SEC here it goes every week. But you also gotta be multiple so you can use your talent so that in some ways you're leaning in and you got more edge rushers, you got more D lineman, you got more DB's. How can you use those guys to get the best people on the field to help you win football games?”

Additionally, Roberts’ addition to the staff hopes to create clarity and diffuse confusion within Armstrong’s defense. Armstrong’s defense was originally Roberts’s, which Armstrong put his own twist on when he became a coordinator, Napier said. 

“Those guys, they have communicated with each other since they departed. They’re having weekly conversations for the last few years,” Napier said. “Ultimately they’re working together to build the installations, to build the scripts. Austin's running the unit meetings, and Ron's doing a good job of creating clarity for the coaches and really helping us to improve the fundamentals.”

As for Myles, spring was a relatively quiet time. After participating in the first few practices, he had to have surgery to alleviate a previous back injury. His father told Gators Illustrated that his son is on track in his recovery. Napier previously said they hoped to have him back by fall camp. 

Despite Myles not being able to see the field, Roberts gave his early praise of his character and maturity during spring. 

“Well, first you think you have to judge the person,” Roberts said. “I think the person always helps the great athlete. There's a ton of great athletes that don't turn out to be great players. But the ones that got everything else, the way they approach their daily business, he's been outstanding. [He's] a tremendous athlete, great hips, can run, flip his hips, do everything. He can play anything. So, he's been a pleasure to work with, and it's exciting."

That character was evident a few weeks ago when he participated in the Creed Whittemore Football Camp as a guest coach with his former Buchholz High School teammates. Afterwards, Myles Graham credited his father for raising him to be the young man he is today.

“Kids have their own personalities, and you can instill some things in them, and they can choose to go their own way. For Myles, I think that’s just at the core of who he is,” Earnest Graham said. “He loves his community. He’s a man’s man. He loves the game that he plays. So for him to give back to young men on the same path, I think that means a lot to him. I’m proud of the leader that he is and the servant’s heart that he has.”