In The Spotlight: Gators defensive end William Green
Wednesday, August 24, 2011 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – William Green admits he'll probably never host his own talk show. Green is anything but a talking head. The senior defensive end prefers to maintain a low profile and go about his business quietly.
But when Gators coach Will Muschamp took over the program, Green turned up his volume level a notch. When Muschamp was Auburn's defensive coordinator in 2007, he recruited Green, an offensive lineman's headache at Spain Park High in Birmingham, Ala.
“He told me no,'' Muschamp said. “He made a good decision. I'm glad he made the decision he did now but I wasn't happy then.''
A lot has changed since Muschamp and Green first crossed paths. Muschamp left Auburn for Texas and Green spurned the Tigers for Florida. They could have easily never crossed paths again on a football field if not for Urban Meyer stepping down in December.
Four years later Muschamp finally has Green on his team, and Green is trying his best to make sure their time together is worth the wait.
“When Coach Muschamp came in I wanted to work real hard and show the coaches I could play,'' Green said. “I took to it like that.''
With the departure of defensive ends Justin Trattou and Duke Lemmens, Green has worked his way into a more prominent role. While he has played in 39 games during his three seasons with the Gators, Green has mostly been a reserve and regular on special teams.
Green's career got off to a fast start after a promising freshman season, but he was unable to crack the starting lineup regularly as a sophomore and junior.
A year ago he finished with 13 tackles, including four tackles for loss. He and Muschamp both hope those numbers take a big leap in Green's final season.
“I thought I was ready to take regular snaps last year and that just didn't bounce my way,'' Green said. “I'm ready to step in and play more and be productive.''
While the Gators need Green's production on the field to increase, he has already made an impact off it since Muschamp took over the program in January.
As Muschamp and his staff settled in and began to meet with players, Muschamp needed no introduction to Green, who quickly assumed a leadership role heading into spring practice. Green joined Muschamp and quarterback John Brantley and receiver Deonte Thompson in Hoover, Ala. – Green's hometown – for SEC Football Media Days last month, another sign of Green's more prominent role in 2011.
“He was raised right. This kid is grounded. He works extremely hard on and off the field,'' Muschamp said. “He is a great ambassador for the University of Florida. He's about all the right things. He is an outstanding leader, a guy we're really counting on to have a special senior season. I think he is certainly capable of that. He is certainly maximizing his ability.''
Green is confident he can fulfill some of the potential that first impressed Muschamp when Green was a Parade All-American at Spain Park High. Part of his renewed outlook is contributed to working regularly with defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and defensive line coach Bryant Young.
Green said he feels refreshed by what he considers a second chance when the new coaching staff arrived and immediately tried to become a sponge, learning as much as he could from the NFL veterans.
“My first initial thought was that we're going to have a pretty good defense, because I know he's a good defensive coach,'' Green said of Muschamp's hiring. “Coach said I had a pretty good spring. I want to keep improving and I want to get better. Last year was last year. I'd like to finish my career on a high note.''
The changes in Green haven't gone unnoticed by his teammates. Green may never be a loud mouth, but there is a noticeable difference in his demeanor since the end of last season.
“He has been a great leader and very outspoken,'' linebacker Jelani Jenkins said. “A lot of guys look up to him for what he does off the field and on the field. He's probably one of the hardest-working guys on the team.'
“He's a mentor for a lot of guys. I think he's been ready for [this opportunity] for a couple of years.''
With the season opener less than two weeks away, Green is ready to ditch his view from the bench and prove to Muschamp that he was worth all those recruiting visits and calls four years ago.
“I haven't had a lot of fun on the field,'' Green said. “I want this year to be different.”
