When Florida’s coaches decided they were going to give significant playing time to Major Wright, Ahmad Black and Will Hill before this season started, many questioned how that plan would be embraced by the three safeties.
Including the safeties themselves.
“Actually, I thought people were going to end up crying. Worrying about this, worrying about that,” Hill said. “But all three of us are level-headed, and we know that we’re going to play.”
The honesty of the coaching staff has been key to the players buying in to the system.
In the preseason, defensive coordinator Charlie Strong, coach Urban Meyer and safeties coach Chuck Heater said all along that all three players earned the right to play, and therefore would get snaps when the time came.
But Meyer also said that about backup quarterback John Brantley, who will end up playing in fewer games this season than he did in 2008 even if he makes an appearance in all four of the Gators’ remaining games.
The safety situation, however, played out exactly how they said it would with no one feeling like the third wheel.
The coaches have played all three an equal amount and have even found a way to play them at the same time with the expanded use of Strong’s Joker package. The 3-3-5 defense puts an extra defensive back on the field and gives Strong the opportunity to utilize the secondary’s versatility.
Against South Carolina, Hill said he played more nickelback than usual, meaning he was matched up with receivers in the slot, where Strong used his sophomore defensive back to not only cover but also rush quarterback Stephen Garcia.
As a result, Hill came away with 1.5 sacks, including the first of his career.
The Gamecocks threw for 186 yards Saturday, almost 50 yards more than the Gators’ Southeastern Conference-leading 139.6 per game average.
UF has two lockdown corners in Joe Haden and Janoris Jenkins, which allows Strong to play Wright as the lone deep safety, patrolling the field from sideline to sideline in much the same way Reggie Nelson was used in his time in Gainesville. Wright, who was thought of as just a hard hitter after his first two seasons as a Gator, has shown a big improvement in his coverage and ball skills this season, as he is tied for the team lead with three interceptions.
Black has been allowed to roam free in the box, and as a result, the junior has recorded 51 tackles, good for third on the team and first among the safeties.
Each player possesses a different skill set that can help the team win.
“Major will knock your lights out. Will is a big guy. And I’m the small guy, but I’m probably the surest tackler,” Black said.
In addition to splitting time in the secondary, the three are all major special teams contributors.
A season ago, Hill led the Gators in special teams’ tackles, and Black worked his way into a starting role after making a name for himself on coverage teams. Now, they all remain critical parts of a special teams unit that Meyer calls his best ever, even after establishing themselves as exceptional every-down defensive players.
Plenty of playing time to go around and a mutual respect for each other have kept the trio content with their individual roles in the three-man rotation.
“If you had a guy who wasn’t as good of a player, in your opinion, then you would probably have a problem with that,” Heater said. “But all three guys know they bring certain things to the table, all three of them contribute and all three of them make plays.”
