Will Harris may act like a tackle dummy, but he's sharp when it comes to putting players on the ground. Of course, it doesn't take a football genius to realize that that's somehow a problem at Florida State.
“Let's be real,” Harris said at her first press conference this week. “You guys saw the game. You have to fix the tackle, close range, period.”
That's a big reason why Harris got the second coaching job in college. Florida's defense has an extensive list of fixes. But no matter how improved the talent or how shrewd the plan, the Gators desperately need to understand the most basic tasks of football.
“If you can't tackle him and take him to the ground, that's a problem,” UF co-defensive coordinator Ron Roberts said. “We have to excel in that category.”
At this point, Florida fans will take it as mediocre.
The Gators had 116 missed tackles last year. His total tackles were 469 and his 'miss rate' was 24.73.
It was last in the SEC. Georgia led the way, whiffing on just 15.23% of its tackle attempts.
This arithmetic was reflected in many plays that had Florida fans turning away in horror. Kentucky's Ray Davis ran for 280 yards, 216 of which came after he was initially hit by a defender.
And who can forget the Gators' harmless bounce off University of Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson?
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A deep clean was needed, so Roberts was brought in to help guard Austin Armstrong. Gerald Chatman replaced Sean Spencer as defensive line coach, and Harris took over from Corey Raymond.
He was the secondary coach for the Los Angeles Chargers, and before that he built one of the best secondaries in the nation in Washington.
The Huskies will be able to tackle. Replicating that in Florida will require a multipronged approach.
“Before every practice, before every meeting, we talk about tackle, tackle, tackle,” safety Jordan Kastel said.
They learn a technique, repeat it, repeat it, repeat it with a new twist in their practice.
Most school drills involve players holding their pads and being tackled. Harris played safety at the University of Southern California nearly 20 years ago and still looks like he can hurt wide receivers. He transforms himself into a tackle dummy to emphasize his message.
“If I'm going to go out with them, they need to feel it too,” he said. “We need them to understand that this is the mindset we need to have.”
And what exactly is your mindset when you encounter a ball carrier?
“Are you going to let him come to you and bring you pain?” Sharif Denson said. “Or are you going to bring me pain?”
It took some getting used to causing pain to someone in authority. The players were hesitant to go after Harris, but Harris insisted.
“Bring it!” he shouted. You're not going to hurt me. ”
It's no exaggeration to say that defensive guru Nick Saban hasn't uttered these words in decades.
“We all look at him like he's crazy,” Castel said of Harris.
They eventually got the hang of it. Especially transfer safety DJ Douglas.
“DJ tried to kill him,” Kastel said.
After about 14 spring practice sessions, Harris is still going strong. Saturday's Orange and Blue game may provide a hint as to the prognosis for Florida's defense.
“The energy is totally different. The players are completely bought in. The energy is much better, especially with Coach Harris,” Castel said. “Coach Harris is out there in his cleats, so it’s almost like he’s practicing with us, which is good.”
That's one thing, but causing pain for coaches in spring practice is another matter. It's another thing to bring that to guys like Davis and Jefferson in the fall.
Close range, period – The Gators have to make sure they don’t miss so many tackles. When it comes to such pain, fans have suffered long enough.
David Whitley is a sports columnist for the Gainesville Sun. Please contact us at dwhitley@gannett.com. X Follow him at @DavidEWhitley
