A special teams mat became a symbol of the Billy Napier era at Florida: organized but ultimately ineffective. However, under Jon Sumrall, the Gators are trying to rebuild the culture at Gainesville. A part of that involves burying some old traditions. According to the Gators’ new special teams coordinator, Johnathan Galante, the game-day operation isn’t just for Saturday.
“It starts from the top down. And we’ve got a system to handle all those,” Johnathan Galante said, per 247 Sports. “Game-day operations don’t just happen on game day. You’ve got to practice it. It’s rehearsed. It’s something we start even in the special teams meeting. So organization and communication—it can’t be different on Saturday than it is during the week. So, it’s a process.”
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Under Billy Napier, the Gators’ special teams made some impressive plays. However, his tenure was also marked by some nonsensical mistakes. In one instance against Utah in the 2023 season, Florida was penalized for having two players on the field with the same jersey number. And then there were penalties because Florida had either too many or too few players on the field. Napier, to his credit, hired Joe Houston to work with Chris Couch before the 2024 season.
Before the 2025 season, the team introduced a special sideline mat to fix recurring substitution and personnel errors on special teams. The goal was simple. The mat had 11 specific spots. Each of the 11 players on special teams would take a spot before they go to the field. But that didn’t really solve the issue.
Against USF, the Gators got flagged for an illegal substitution on a fourth down. That didn’t involve special teams, but the unit was at fault against Miami when only 10 men were on the field for a Canes’ field goal attempt. The new special teams coordinator wants to do it differently.
“I’ve heard enough about the special teams mat. We’ve got a system for substitution; as I said, it’s just like anything—if you want to be good at it, you have to emphasize it. It really doesn’t matter if you use a mat or if you call them all up on the sideline; it’s got to be from the top down, it’s got to be something you practice constantly,” Galante said.
Galante had an impressive record at Tulane this past season, helping the Green Wave’s special teams rank ninth in the country. He also helped develop Patrick Durkin, who recorded 24 field goals (2nd) and 66 touchbacks on 77 kicks (fifth). It earned him the AAC’s special teams player of the year honor. The unit’s success also made Galante a nominee for the Broyles Award.
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As Galante looks to bring the same production to Gainesville, the coach admired special teams under Urban Meyer and shared the culture he wants to build at Florida.
Johnathan Galante cites inspiration from Urban Meyer
Galante stated that the Gators were once known for outstanding special team players, including Jeremy Crawshaw, McPherson, Eddy Pineiro, and Brandon James. However, it all changed over the years. He then cited Urban Meyer’s defense as the best, with heavy involvement in special teams, and wanted to adapt the same approach.
“When you think of this place, immediately for me, in recent history at least, Urban Meyer’s special team units were second to none. He’s extremely aggressive and very sound. They played extremely fast on special teams, so I’m very excited about it.”
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Fortunately for Johnathan Galante, Sumrall is heavily involved in special teams and oversees their efforts.
“It’s great because he is involved. Any good special teams coach wants their head coach involved. He’s involved in everything in our program, but he’s definitely involved in special teams. He loves special teams and has a passion for it. That’s why it was an easy opportunity to take with him last year at Tulane, because he is invested in special teams. That’s critical for my success and our team’s success on special teams. So it’s a big deal.”
