Gators Digging ‘Really Deep’ in Preparation for LSU’s New Coaching Staff

The benefit of the unknown is a double-edged sword, as Billy Napier's Florida Gators are preparing for their first game against a new coaching staff in this week's matchup with LSU.

Billy Napier this week is experiencing what Kentucky's Mark Stoops, Tennessee's Josh Heupel and Missouri's Eliah Drinkwitz had to deal with in Florida's first three conference matchups of the 2022 season: Preparing to face an intraconference squad with a new head coach at the helm.

On Saturday, the Gators will host the LSU Tigers, a program that handed its keys to new head coach Brian Kelly this past offseason. In his first campaign removed from 12 years at Notre Dame, Kelly's Tigers have compiled a 4-2 record with a pair of SEC wins. 

Napier and his Gators have had the benefit of the relative unknown on their side through six games this season, as opponents have had either limited or no material to study with Florida's personnel in Napier and defensive coordinator Patrick Toney's schemes. 

But what kind of challenge will that present Florida, now on the other side of that coin? 

"It's the whole body of work relative to the evidence," Napier explained on Monday. "You look at the play-callers on both sides of the ball relative to Cincinnati, relative to Kansas City Chiefs, Kentucky, Notre Dame. We spend lots of time on this independent of this week."

Kelly brought Mike Denbrock, most recently of the Cincinnati Bearcats, along to Baton Rouge, La. as the Tigers' offensive coordinator after the two coached together with the Fighting Irish from 2010-16. Matt House, LSU's new defensive coordinator, had been Kentucky's defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach from 2017-18 before spending the 2019-21 seasons as a pro linebackers coach in Kansas City.

Their units rank No. 8 and No. 4 in the SEC in yardage per game this season, respectively.

Sophomore defensive end Princely Umanmielen provided an example of UF preparing similarly for a new play-caller, as Napier suggested, thinking back to one of Florida's three contests against a freshly-hired offensive coordinator this year. While Umanmielen didn't specify the team in mind, Kentucky, USF and Eastern Washington each hired a new O.C. during the offseason.

"When we watch film of teams, they dig really deep," Umanmielen said. "One team had a new offensive coordinator, and they were going back to like when he was at three schools ago and things like that. Yeah, I know [Toney is] going to do some digging, figure out a game plan."

The process began with observing the film of LSU's 2022 season on Sunday, Umanmielen noted, and will continue on Tuesday when the team does a deeper dive into the coordinator's habits at previous stops.

The tape observed on Sunday, though, was limited in sample size, Napier said and as might have been expected. And if only six games weren't sparse enough to challenge the Gators in their preparation for the Tigers, their matchups with Mississippi State's Air Raid offense and two non-conference foes led to some different looks from LSU than what it typically puts on film.

"I think you do have a little bit smaller sample size, especially when you consider Mississippi State, their offense, the differences there. When you talk about New Mexico, their offense and the differences there, the number of plays they play against Southern," Napier described. "There's a lot of variables that contribute to the sample size that you have. 

"But I think that's where your off-season research and summer scouting comes into effect."

There is still an importance in studying the personnel of a team with a new head coach and new schemes, offensive lineman Ethan White acknowledged. 

It requires balance, however, given the necessity of time spent evaluating the strategies from the coaches' prior gigs and pairing them with the strengths of the personnel on their new squad.

"I feel like whether the coach is at that team or at a previous team, most coaches do similar things of kind of just game planning that with the personnel they have," said White.

"You just have to manage your time differently as opposed to a different week."

Of course, LSU is in the exact same position this week, bracing to take on a new-look Florida team than the one led by Dan Mullen that Ed Orgeron's Tigers met in 2021. 

The lone SEC programs with first-year head coaches this season, the result of this game will —in fairness or not — serve as a measuring stick as to which staff is more elaborate in preparing for lesser predictable contests.

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