New to DL, Kelby Collins welcomes Gerald Chatman's coaching style

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Gators have a handful of new coaches on staff this spring. All of them have already made an impact, according to Florida coach Billy Napier, and there’s one in particular who has made some noise in camp.

A lot of it.

“You know, Gerald Chatman coaching defensive line has brought a tremendous amount of urgency,” UF defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong said. “I think you guys see that during the media period.”

The media is granted an 18-minute viewing period for each practice. As reporters make their way around, Chatman’s presence is felt whether you’re near the DL group or on the opposite end of the field.

“Obviously y’all have heard him,” sophomore Kelby Collins said. “Loud.”

Chatman told Gators Online this offseason that he was going to bring an “attack mentality” to the position. He wasn’t kidding.

Chatman’s intensity is unrelenting.

“I like it,” Collins said. “It just makes me practice harder at the end of the day. I know he’s going to hold me to the standard, he’s going to hold the group to the standard. And to play for him you can’t be weak. He’s going to get on you.”

Chatman doesn’t just make players redo drills or fix their technique. He’ll call out poor energy, bad body language or lack of urgency.

“He’s not going to let you slack,” Collins said. “He’s not going to let you be lazy. He’s not going to let you play with bad technique. He’s a perfectionist.

“He just holds us to a higher standard than maybe we hold ourselves. … As a unit we want to get better, and he’s helping us do that by being the way he is.”

For Collins, who made the move from EDGE to DL this offseason, he welcomes Chatman’s coaching style. Collins is in a different position room and learning a new spot, but he doesn’t want his hand held.

He wants to be coached hard.

“Love coach Chatman,” Collins said. “Since he came in, we talked and he told me he’s going to coach me hard, and that’s something I appreciate. I want to be coached to the very best to be able to achieve what I want to achieve at the end of the day, and that’s something he does.

“He brings that intensity we need. He also brings different techniques he learned at the pro level. He’s really just elevated us in every way. … So, anything that he says to me, I’m going to try and apply that to my game. And with doing that, I’ve definitely seen a change.” 

Collins gave an example of a pass rush drill where he lined up and was slanted a little bit. Chatman told him to straighten up his stance so they “respect” his speed.

“When I did that, I seen the change,” Collins said, “So just little things like that that he sees on the field. And even after practice, we will go over some things that he’s seeing or in the meeting room he’ll pull up the film.

“If he sees it, he’ll make us get up and try a technique that he thinks will help us. So, he’s just really taking his time and elevating us. It’s our job to listen and apply what he says.”

Armstrong has observed that application in action this spring and agrees with Napier’s assessment of Chatman’s defensive line group.

“It takes a lot of toughness, physicality, technique to play that position,” Armstrong said, “and the urgency that he’s brought, he’s already made us better.”