University Of Florida, Football, Chatsworth discussed on The Paul Finebaum Show

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Service. It's about building relationships. It's about selling the university of Florida, the history, the tradition, the iconic players and coaches, top 5 public institution, in a great part of the country. So we've got a lot to sell here. I think it's a valuation first and it's recruitment second. And then once the player gets to campus, it's all about development. It's all about intangibles. We're going to be system oriented. You know, and I think that's the part that excites me here. I think there's a great opportunity and we're certainly excited about the investment administration and the vision here to put this thing back together. Gosh, happy you've been part of some very successful programs, including the most successful in college football. Is there any reason why the university of Florida can't recruit at the same level as those who are at the very top every single season? I would like to think that we can recruit with anybody. We're the university of Florida. I think there's just so much to sail, right? I think the key here is that we have a team first mentality, we're objective in our approach. We evaluate well, then we go to work and recruit and like I mentioned before. I think we can go toe to toe with any institution in the country and certainly that's our intention. Coach, you mentioned leaning on people along the way. I think we would be interested in hearing what you've learned through this process and what has inspired you to get to where you are today. Well, I think you start with my dad. You know, I'm a son of a high school coach. I grew up in chatsworth, Georgia, and northwest part of the state. Observed him in my young life impact tons of people. I think that's one of the great things about the game of football is we're giving this platform, there's no question that young people care about the game, their competitive, but while we're coaching this game, I think we can impact these players as people. So I learned that from my dad, I would like to think that we're taking the football plan that we learned from some outstanding coaches throughout my career, but we're going to use my people plan. We're going to use my approach to people. You know, I think the combination of those two things can position us to have success. You know, Paul, a lot of times, when people ask me about the head coaches, then I've worked for one of the things that gets overlooked is the number of assistant coaches and some of the best support staff members in the entire country that we've had an opportunity to work with. So that network of people has been critical. You know, it's allowed us to have success in the past. We're all a product of the experiences we've had and the people that we've been exposed to. I'm certainly no different, right? I'm a product of my environment. As you get, as you move through this process, I'm sure there's so many things going on around you. What are you hoping to learn from the team that you have inherited, which let's be honest, you may have won its last game, but really struggled down the stretch. Well, a lot of one on one conversations, you know, start with the players, right? I think it's important that we identify those people that have experienced this, right? They've been had a chance to catch up with a few players that practice today. So, you know, we're going to do this one day at a time. We're going to do it one person at a time. And I think it's important that we listen to the people that we're here. What did they learn? What was done well, where did the train get off the tracks? You know, and we apply those lessons, right? We're going to bring in a new group of people, new energy, a new plan, but I think we've got to look back and see because there's been a lot of significant things done here. I think there's been a lot of quality accomplishments. We can learn from the good, the bad and the ugly here. And that's the approach we're going to take. Finally, coach, everyone knows about the success of the university of Florida and rightly or wrongly in recent time it rests with two coaches. Steve spurrier in urban Meyer. And it's a mystery to all of us who watch this every day. Why this program has not been more successful. I realized the past is not your concern, but if any thoughts do you have on why the university of Florida hasn't consistently been at the top along with several other schools in the SEC? I think that's a great question, Paul. And it's one that I spent a lot of time on. You know, when evaluating this situation and can't far to get back to the success they've had in the past, right? So that list is probably too specific for me to go into, but I do think there are very specific things that can be done better here. I'm excited about this administration. They completely bought into our vision here. We're getting ready to build an unprecedented organization top to bottom. You know, they bought into that vision in the interview process, we're going to build a special experience, an elite student athlete experience. It's going to be player based. You know, I think you've got to keep people at the core of what you do. We're going to surround these players with great people. That are really good at what they do that really have an authentic care for the player. We're going to work our tail off and recruiting and evaluating when we get them here. We're going to have a very specific plan for their development. So the game's about the players, right? And I coach for the players. I'm excited about our plan. I've been fortunate to work with some of the best in the entire country. We're going to implement those lessons that we learned along the way. But I do think there's a different level of commitment here than there has been in the past from a facility standpoint and an infrastructure standpoint. Coach will leave it there, but we have so many more questions. I know you've got a lot to do, but we deeply appreciate you making time for us here today. And all the very, very best. Paul, thanks so much for covering the Florida Gators, man. We appreciate it. We hope to see you soon on the coach of the Gators. Billy Napier, his first conversation with us, days after being formally introduced. And we are going to take a short break..

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