A former highly touted recruit who transferred to Ole Miss earlier this offseason made some pointed remarks about the Florida Gators this week.
Princely Umanmielen, a defensive end ranked ninth in the 2020 recruiting class, spent his initial four years at Florida before moving to Ole Miss.
During a press conference on Tuesday as he participates in spring practice at Ole Miss, Umanmielen indicated that he believes he is experiencing genuine player development with the Rebels. Originally from Texas, he implied that the coaching staff at Florida simply encouraged him to rely on his natural talent rather than actively nurturing his skills.
“I feel like here I’m getting coached harder for things like that (attacking the run),” said Umanmielen. “I feel like at Florida, the way I was coached it was kind of like, it was almost as if like they was just telling me to go out there and use my talent, if that makes sense.”
“Attacking the run, Coach Lou (Spanos) really goes through the progressions of the drops and the routes that are being run, when I have to go into coverage,” added Umanmielen. “When I was at Florida, they would just tell me go drop to this area and I would have to figure everything else out on my own.”
Head coach Billy Napier and the Florida program are facing scrutiny following Umanmielen’s remarks, which don’t cast them in a favorable light.
Napier’s tenure at Florida has already been rocky, with disappointing performances in his initial two seasons. Umanmielen’s critique adds further pressure, suggesting little hope for improvement under Napier’s leadership.
Umanmielen’s observation about Florida’s coaching approach evokes a comparison to former Tennessee Vols head coach Derek Dooley. After Dooley’s tenure with Tennessee ended in 2012, he joined the Dallas Cowboys as a wide receivers coach. Dooley’s coaching style, as he described it in a 2013 radio interview, involved instructing star receiver Dez Bryant to simply rely on his natural abilities without much specific guidance. Umanmielen’s experience at Florida mirrors this lack of structured development.
Drawing parallels to Dooley’s coaching methods is concerning for any SEC coach, highlighting the need for more comprehensive coaching strategies.
While there’s potential for Napier to turn things around, as evidenced by Eli Drinkwitz’s success at Missouri in the previous season, the current situation at Florida doesn’t inspire confidence. Unless significant improvements are made soon, it seems likely that Napier may soon find himself seeking employment elsewhere.
