FLORIDA
While the Sept. 1 season opener against Charleston Southern may be months away from taking place, die-hard Florida fans will be hard-pressed to not get excited about the season after reading recent comments made by the program’s new defensive line coach Sal Sunseri.
Officially announced as Dan Mullen’s first defensive line coach in early January, Sunseri brings 34 years of coaching experience to Gainesville. The former Tennessee defensive coordinator and associate head coach of Nick Saban’s Alabama team, from 2009-11, returns to the college ranks looking to win titles.
Not SEC titles mind you, but national titles.
The Florida DL coach met with the local media Tuesday and expressed not only his belief in Mullen but of the ceiling of the Gator program.
When you get a chance to come to the University of Florida you take that opportunity." -Sal Sunseri
— Jake Winderman (@jakewinderman) February 13, 2018
Sunseri added these thoughts on the possibility of adding to his trophy case:
"I'm blessed enough to have three of those on my fingers, and that's not enough,' #Gators DL coach Sal Sunseri on national titles.
— Edgar Thompson (@osgators) February 13, 2018
Winning big in the SEC will obviously take talent and Sunseri believes the program has what it takes to compete with the big boys from the league — something he’s seen first-hand during his short time in Gainesville.
Check out his comments on elite Florida defensive line signee Malik Langham, who was believed to be a lock to join Saban’s Alabama program leading up to National Signing Day.
Sunseri on Malik Langham: "To go up into Huntsville, Alabama and get Malik out of there is a credit to the coaching staff. When you go up there you're battling Alabama and Auburn."
— Nick de la Torre (@NickdelaTorreGC) February 13, 2018
Apparently, it wasn’t just the football program that won Langham over, it was Florida’s strong academic tradition as well:
Sunseri said UF's academic center really sold defensive end Malik Langham, who picked the Gators over Alabama and Auburn.
— Robbie Andreu (@RobbieAndreu) February 13, 2018
Taking all this into account, Sunseri has seen what a championship program looks like and he suggests the pieces are in place for the Gators to return to that level under Mullen. Now it’s a matter of building up the roster and setting the standard for the players to rise up and achieve on a daily basis.
Langham grew up an Auburn fan but didn’t get an offer until late in the cycle. Mullen recruited him hard when he was at Miss St…which is why he landed at UF. He was a late bloomer that Auburn should have jumped on sooner, but they weren’t going to take another DE until Holland unexpectedly jumped to the NFL.
That is correct brother! WDE! But it’s ok , Auburn got LOI’s from several elite D linemen. Malik would’ve been nice but Auburn isn’t hurting in that category at all. Congrats to FLA on coming into our backyard and getting him. He will be a good player I think.
Wow – between Danette’s “blind squirrel” comment and Sunseri’s over-the-top, best-job-in-the-World, pinch-me-I’m-dreaming routine – the UF fan base is an extremely needy bunch.
I was at the 1981 Sugar Bowl, I was very young, but I remember Herschel trucking Sunsari like he was a corn stalk.
You might be the most ignorant Uga fan I’ve seen in a minute. In the last 30 years, Uga has won 10 games. Is the hate THAT bad for you? Do you feel so threatened by Mullen that it makes you turn his name into “Danette” in every post (which is completely unfunny)? Did that one “blind squirrel” comment trigger you so bad that you lose sight of the fact that you sound like a redundant, mad, and triggered idiot in every single post you write here? For fukks sake, man, find a hobby.
**10 games against Florida I mean***
Hey dumbaass, if you are going to go back 30 years then just go back to the beginning of the rivalry.
Georgia leads the series 51–43–2
you need a band-aid for that raw nerve????
I was gonna go back 10 years but I felt that you’d say the same thing and you’d have an even poorer representation of your garbage statements. By the way that you carry on, I’m guessing a T-shirt or two is the only thing you’ve ever really purchased from your school.
All things considered, the only who seems triggered at this point is you.
Many accuse Jim Carrey of being an over-actor.
Sal might want a new acting coach.
ARe you that mad uga lost the nc? Not bashing uga but common you have got to be kidding me with these comments. What do you want him to say oh I hate my job Florida is a terrible place. Obviously he’s trying to sell if and excite the fan base. I swear between this comment and the one about Florida being lucky to be the fourth best in the east next year. Make you seem very childish.
Ben7254, dawgdayz is a troll masquerading as a dawg poster. She used to UGA articles as Voltrainconductor.
Me personally I do not see a problem with the comment but the Mullens comment was one I think will be repeatedly eaten over the next couple years. I think Mullen is a good coach but looks to me UF has some work to do before talking that kind of s*** and GA may have lost the NC but hey at least they were there
I agree and UGA will be good for awhile but that comment was more to excite the UF fan base than throw a shot at Georgia