What Florida football coach Billy Napier said following first spring scrimmage

Florida football held its first intra-squad scrimmage in its eighth practice on Saturday afternoon at The Swamp.

The Florida Gators are two weeks away from the Orange and Blue Game on April 13.

"The big takeaway with the players walking off the field was we’re halfway, and it’s important that we have a great focus over the next two weeks, so critical two weeks to come," Florida football coach Billy Napier said. "We’ve got to get really specific about the areas where we need to improve."

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Florida is establishing a more veteran group with 13 returning starters but faces a challenging schedule beginning with an Aug. 31 matchup at The Swamp against state-rival Miami.

"We’ve got a group of veteran players that are doing a good job kind of setting the tone and being a really good example, and then I see the young players, some of which were here last year, and some of which we just got here, are continuing to make progress," Napier said. "So I do think that I’ve been pleased with what I see."

Here's more of what Napier said about Saturday's scrimmage:

UF football QB D.J. Lagway working on game management

Napier praised Lagway, a prized five-star recruit from Willis, Texas, for his ability to retain information quickly as a freshman early enrollee quarterback.

"Every day is a new learning experience for him, but he's a quick learner, and he did a lot of good today," Napier said. "I think he made some plays with his feet, played with the twos most of the day. I think that's where he's at. I think he's got physical talent; he's picked it up quickly."

Napier said the next step for Lagway is game management. He used the analogy of playing Texas Hold Em.

"If you played Texas Hold Em and you get a three and a four, you fold your cards and you go to the next hand," Napier said. "He obviously didn't play poker growing up, but sometimes you get dealt a bad hand, and you got to learn how to play the next hand. Play the next play, managing the situation thinking of your decision-making relative to the game and the team within that setting."

Florida football defense gets better of the offense

Napier said UF's defense got the best of the offense, but there were bright spots on both sides.

"It was competitive," Napier said. "You know, there's bright spots in all parts. I thought we made plays on defense. I thought we had great energy. We tackled well today. Thought the secondary in particular, we tackled well. We made the offense turn the ball over, you know, the offense had a couple of turnovers in the red area."

Sophomore linebacker Grayson "Pup" Howard, a transfer from South Carolina, was one of the defensive standouts. Napier said Howard is taking advantage of the increased reps on practice with linebackers Shemar James and Derek Wingo coming off injuries and unable to take part in full contact.

"When we look back at his stats, there was a lot of production for him today," Napier said. "He’s a good communicator. He’s got an edge to him, he’s big, he’s long."

UF football offensive line establishing chemistry, continuity

Napier said UF's offensive line is continuing to show growth this spring. With tackles Austin Barber and Kam Waites limited due to injuries, transfer tackles Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson (6-foot-7, 315 pounds) and Devon Manuel (6-7, 319) worked with the first team, with redshirt freshman Caden Jones (6-7, 336) and true freshman Fletcher Westphal (6-8, 325) working with the second team.

"You're out there with the first and second group, and you're 6-7, 6-7, 6-8, 6-7 and a half," Napier said. "You know, we're just much better on the edges, and you get Austin and Kam back for the summer."

Inside, Bryce Lovett (6-4, 325) and Christian Williams (6-4, 305) are continuing to develop, and sophomore Rod Kearney (6-4, 302) is showing positional flexibility playing at both guard and center.

New UF offensive line coach John Decoster, Napier said, is establishing a strong rapport with Florida co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Rob Sale.

"We've added some quality players," Napier said. "And I think John, just in a short amount of time, Coach Decoster's helped our group improve."