Gators OT Commit David Conner Previews OV, Talks New Florida Coaching Staff

David Conner is sold on Billy Napier's vision for the Florida Gators.

After Florida fired head coach Dan Mullen and hired Billy Napier to replace him, commits in the Gators' 2022 recruiting class naturally grew worried about their future with the program, or possible lack thereof.

As a result, seven prospects have decommitted from the university since Mullen's dismissal. However, a small handful of recruits have held firm on their pledges to the school and are excited to be a part of Napier's foundational recruiting class.

Deerfield Beach (Fla.) offensive tackle David Conner is one of those players, despite the craziness he has endured over the last several weeks.

"It's just been crazy," Conner told AllGators in an interview on Wednesday. "Everything happening so last minute when I'm ready to put the pen to paper, so it's like, what's gonna happen next? 

"Like, right when the coaches got fired, it went a few days with no communication from anybody at UF. And then the new staff was hired and now [I'm] worrying about, 'Are they going to want me too? Am I going to have to decommit? Am I going to lose my scholarship?' All of that went through my head and played a role."

Yet, not long after Napier was officially introduced as the Gators' head coach this past Sunday, he contacted Conner and expressed his excitement to welcome the offensive tackle to Florida, intending to honor the South Florida prospect's commitment. 

Conner, as such, plans to officially visit Florida's campus this weekend and meet Napier and the initial members of his coaching staff.

"It looks like the new staff, they like me, they're going to keep me. So, that just put my mind at ease," Conner explained. "They like how athletic I am, how aggressive I am. You know, they want me to get in their scheme next year."

New off-field assistant Ashour Peera emphasized Florida's desire to hold onto Conner on Wednesday, specifically, traveling to South Florida to meet Conner and offer some insight into the changes within the program.

"He was just telling me how, you know, they still like me and are excited for me to get up on campus, meet everybody [that's] new," Conner said. "And you know, they just want me to experience the new coaches so I'm not just going into a blind scenery, don't know what I'm getting into. They just want me to be able to see everything and get to know the new vision."

Part of Napier's vision, when it comes to his coaching staff, is hiring two offensive line coaches to split the five-man unit into groups, which could be advantageous for each player's development. Conner certainly appreciates the idea and is looking forward to working with an assistant who will specifically focus on development at his position, rather than shouldering the burden of coaching tackles, guards and centers all at once. 

Neither of those assistants have officially been hired yet, however, Peera informed Conner who is being targeted as his future position coach in particular. Conner wouldn't share the name of the coach, understandably, but he did offer an encouraging hint.

"The only thing I can say is he's coming from NFL," said Conner.

"I really like it because you know, it's somebody who's coached on the highest level, who has seen a lot of talented linemen, coached a lot of talented linemen. And now, he can bring this skill to me and coach me into one of those great linemen he already has coached."

It's safe to say, Conner is already sold on Napier's hiring and is fully committed to the program regardless of the recent changes. While decommitments have popped up left and right since Napier's introduction, the 2022 recruit hasn't wavered and is ready to pitch in as Napier rebuilds the UF football program from the ground up.

"We're building something special over here. I don't want to influence anybody's decision that's leaving, but if want to come in, just, you know, be ready to come into a great program," Conner said. "It's gonna be a great turnaround from this year and we're building something special. You're gonna see next year."

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