Alabama ILB Coach Austin Armstrong joins Florida Gators

[Escambia94]

Alabama ILB coach Austin Armstrong joins Florida Gators, presumably as co-DC and ILB coach. Technically, Armstrong has only been on Alabama's staff for just over a week, so this is a great steal by Billy Napier.

Year	Position
2023	Alabama, Inside Linebacker Coach
2021-2022	Southern Mississippi, Defensive Coordinator
2020	Louisiana, Inside Linebacker Coach
2019	Georgia, Defensive Quality Control Coach
2017-2018	Louisiana, Graduate Assistant
2016	West Georgia, Assistant Defensive Line Coach

Here is some video of Armstrong breaking down video, including some against the Gators.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1628474198677983236

 

[DRU2012]

Alabama ILB coach Austin Armstrong joins Florida Gators, presumably as co-DC and ILB coach. Technically, Armstrong has only been on Alabama's staff for just over a week, so this is a great steal by Billy Napier.

Year	Position
2023	Alabama, Inside Linebacker Coach
2021-2022	Southern Mississippi, Defensive Coordinator
2020	Louisiana, Inside Linebacker Coach
2019	Georgia, Defensive Quality Control Coach
2017-2018	Louisiana, Graduate Assistant
2016	West Georgia, Assistant Defensive Line Coach

Here is some video of Armstrong breaking down video, including some against the Gators.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1628474198677983236

So, all in all, amidst the rather sudden "shake up" on the Gator coaching staff over the last week, do you rate what in effect ended up being the replacement of Toney with Armstrong an "upgrade", overall?
I know it wasn't exactly especially "planned" in any usual way (AND, as I alluded to earlier this week in my first alert to our losing Toney to NFL's Cardinals at the start of all this, there ARE of course those among the fan base who at least to some extent partially blamed Toney on our failure to substantially improve on Defense in 2022; I was not among those, and was prepared to atvthe very least give he in particular and the whole ongoing evolution of the team and program under the "former staff lineup" another season before a a full on assessment), but there it all is:
Now that the defensive staff is realigned and similar reshuffling on offense is ongoing, how do you feel about where we are at abd where we're cilurrentky headed?
MY only real ongoing concern at the moment, frankly, has to do with how it has and will affect team morale and mindset in the locker room--as well as recruiting, of course, where Toney was a positive force who had deveveloped relationships with a number the latest defensive players who ended up coming here of late.
Personally, my initial fears in this regard so far seem to be receding, but that is still somewhat conditional...Presumably, Armstrong (along with whomever else is brought in to further bolster any perceived gaps in the coaching staff--Billy has been reliably prompt in doing just that since the moment he was named the current Gator Head Coach) is currently contacting and building relationships quietly behind the scenes).
Anyway, I am interested to hear what others among our more level-headed and thoughtful participants here think about all of this.

 

[Escambia94]

It is too early to tell if this is an upgrade. Napier replaced an untested co-DC with another untested co-DC. We did not have enough information on Toney to predict his future success.

 

[DRU2012]

The more I look into Armstong's history and consider Toney's (with us and before), the less I feel we can conclude with any kind of confidence.
All we can do now, as before, is "wait and see".
The way we've suddenly lost 3 coaches to the NFL, all in one week just before spring ball is about to get under way, would normally reflect having just cimpleted a hard-charging, upwardly mobile season of improvement...Obviously that wasn't the case--but for whatever reason, people in the NFL appear to have been impressed with these guys.
Meanwhile, our Coach moved quickly--had the connections, reach and decisive nature to "move quickly" in bringing young, rising and well-thought-of talent to replace them.
For now, we can only HOPE this all bodes well for the immediate future after all...but don't ask me to predict its actual effect.

 

[Escambia94]

I will say that on paper this is a good thing because Toney and Armstrong run similar styles of defense but with different specialties. Locked On Gators seems to think Armstrong will do some on-field better than Toney, but On3 thinks Toney may have been the better recruiter.

 

[DRU2012]

Yeah, that seems to pretty well cover MY intuitive summation: It might pay off somewhat in on-fiekd improvement in 2023, but it is perhaps dangerous re future re ruiting, where Toney played a drlefinite part in our steady growth.
Let us hope Armstrong too will have some trail-chops--but regardless, EVERYONE on the staff will need to up their game to keep that a continuing trend.