Gators senior DT Jaye Howard trying to learn all he can from NFL experience on coaching staff
Friday, August 5, 2011 | Men's Basketball, Football, Scott Carter
Gators defensive tackle Jaye Howard remembers getting a call from head coach Will Muschamp sometime after Florida beat Penn State in the Outback Bowl.
Muschamp wanted to let Howard, a fifth-year senior, know that the Gators' new defensive tackles coach was a guy named Bryant Young. Muschamp told Howard that Young played in the NFL and that he would be in good hands in his final season with defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Young coaching the defensive line.
Howard thanked Muschamp for the call and went back to whatever he was doing. A few days later Howard was home in the Orlando area and everybody kept talking about how lucky he was to have Young as his new position coach.
Later, Howard put on his reporter's hat to learn more about Young.
“I finally went and Googled him and I'm like, 'Wow.' He was a beast,'' Howard said. “He's not going to take any crap. If you do a drill wrong, you are going to stay there until you get it right.''
Howard is the leading tackler (29 tackles, 12 tackles-for-loss in 2010) returning among Florida's defensive linemen. He is also projected as a strong NFL prospect at 6-foot-3 and 302 pounds, a combination of size and athleticism that has allowed him to move around the line during his time at Florida.
Howard is shooting for a strong senior season after missing spring practice because of ankle surgery. He played in 11 games last season – starting eight – but was hampered by an injured ankle for most of the season.
He said he is fully healthy entering fall camp and is upbeat about the possibilities for the Gators' defensive line in part because of Young, a former All-Pro with San Francisco, and Quinn, considered a premiere line coach in teaching fundamentals and technique.
Howard immediately noticed Quinn's expertise.
“The coaching that he is bringing is tremendous,'' Howard said. “He knows his stuff. He is going to bring out the best in us. He emphasizes a lot the use of your hands. If you strike first and get your hands on the man, you are going to win.''
The combination of Young and Quinn – he served as Young's position coach for a time when they were both in San Francisco – has changed the culture in the meeting room and at practice for the defensive line.
“It's more like they are teaching us as if we're actually NFL linemen,'' Howard said. “It's moving at a fast pace, fast tempo, and it's preparing us for the next level. All the terminology is like they use in the NFL.
“If I'm fortunate enough to make the jump next year, I won't be new to the lingo that they are using.''
