Napier Anticipates 'Much-Improved' Gators Defense Under Armstrong

After abysmal defensive play in 2022, head coach Billy Napier expects the unit to take a fundamental step forward under Austin Armstrong's leadership.

Photo: Austin Armstrong; Credit: Alex Shepherd

SARASOTA, Fla. -- The Florida Gators experienced vast turnover following the 2022 campaign, which marked Billy Napier's first in Gainesville. 

Of the departing pieces, co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Patrick Toney left his post to accept a defensive assistant role with the Arizona Cardinals, arguably leaving the largest void for the program's leader to plug this offseason. However, the vacancy was quickly filled by one-month Alabama inside linebackers coach and former Southern Miss defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong.

The 29-year-old garnered significant praise during the spring as he presented a bevy of desirable traits needed to guide the unit to improved performance. Napier offered his assessment of the hire before the spring, highlighting his energy, vast knowledge of the game and deployment of a similar system to Toney with a twist of uber-aggression while at Southern Miss. 

His entry is internally expected to inject life into a Florida defense that has faltered greatly over the last three seasons. 

On Wednesday, Napier shared his analysis of what Armstrong's brought to the table since he stepped on campus just days before the spring practice window opened and how his procedure and characteristics can elevate the Gators' defense to heights it hasn't seen of late.

"Austin, he hit the ground running," Napier said. "He's got the Cliff Notes from Patrick; they're obviously really good friends. He's taken that system, and he went to Southern Miss, and he put his spin on it relative to his experience at Georgia and two stints with us. He's obviously grinding away year-round to improve his approach.

"Austin's got a great temperament about him. I think he's got really good energy, good presence, connects with people well. I think he's a really good teacher. And I think all those things contribute to what I think is a much-improved unit. Now time will tell, but I do think that fundamentally we took a step forward, alignment, communication, and then just overall attitude and demeanor and play speed, it's got a chance to be a pretty good group."

Despite boasting one of the worst defenses in college football a season ago, ranking in the bottom half of the country in nearly every major category at the year's close, Florida flashed that rectification was not far-fetched during its midseason stretch. 

Producing six straight quarters of scoreless football by shutting out Texas A&M in the second half in College Station before keeping a clean sheet against South Carolina in Gainesville the ensuing week, the Gators appeared to finally click within the defensive operation.

While the impressive elevation in play didn't hold to end the year — allowing 76 points and 780 combined yards to Vanderbilt and Florida State before a vastly depleted roster took the field against Oregon State in the season-finale — the production of underclassmen and an uptick in communication at all levels was an evident kickstart for future success within the scheme.

As a result, Toney's departure during the offseason initially created angst for the unit as some players were set to embark on learning their third system in as many seasons. 

However, Armstrong's background with Napier, Toney and Co. at Louisiana-Lafayette provides a similar defensive philosophy, offering welcomed continuity to a defense yearning for it.

"I think, 100%," Napier said when asked about schematic similarities factoring into the decision to bring Armstrong in. "I think that, also, my familiarity with him as a person, his character, his level of expertise and his temperament. Just believing the coordinator comes in and learns what the players know.

"We're gonna have more coordinators here. I think that overall, we want to keep the system intact, and then allow that coordinator to put his spin and his personality on what we already have intact."

The goal in doing so is to illicit improvement on Armstrong's side of the ball in 2023 while upholding the defensive structure to provide familiarity for the players, position coaches and assistants involved in the operation. Already a daunting challenge after the last three campaigns after consistent regression, it becomes more so with increased change.

The hire of Armstong limits the blow in some regard as a significant portion of the defense and its verbiage stays the same.

Now, it's up to how it's employed and executed. 

With veteran pieces returning and new talent coming in to take on voluminous roles at all three levels, paired with Armstrong's aggressive, risk-taking nature, Napier is optimistic for the Gators' defense to witness an elevation in play under the new leadership.

Armstrong will have an assortment of "impactful" pieces to accomplish the endeavor.

"We have a good core group of veterans coming back," Napier said. "Also, think that we added a number of really good pieces there, in terms of the mid-years on defense in particular, I thought were impactful. Portal and high school."

But, while the pressure of improvement will seemingly be placed on Armstrong's shoulders by the outside eye — given the responsibilities synonymous with the defensive coordinator role — the goal for rapid growth spans beyond just the play-caller.

Positions coaches and assistants are expected to pull their weight with the experience they garnered in their inaugural year under Napier and Co.

Heading into last season, just two defensive assistants, on and off-field, entered with previous knowledge of working within the system, per Napier. One was the unit's leader in Toney. The other is a defensive quality control staffer in CJ Wilford. 

Each coach is now in at least their second year of the operation process. Napier expects their understanding and added cohesion to benefit the Gators' defense. 

"The entire staff surrounding Austin and the majority of the second tier is in Year 2, right? We're all going through our process together for the second time," he noted. 

"I think we benefited in that regard. I think the reorganization of our staff benefitted, the teaching progression, the edge players, the D-line, the DBs, the secondary together." 

The Gators plan to use those positive adjustments made on a smaller scale to affect the product by the time they travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, for the season opener on Aug. 31.

Working from bottom to top, refining the minute details of the product before it reaches the larger stage, continues to be the calling card of the team's operation in all areas since Napier's arrival in December 2021. 

The interworking of the defense is just a microcosm of the broader approach; one Napier deems complementary football. Armstrong is now the leader, but the hope for further refinement in 2023 comes as an all-hands-on-deck approach.

"This is the defensive system that started at Louisiana and has evolved each year. It's one that we work together from an installation practice. It's very much a program approach to playing complementary football."

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