Please Read: Welcome to the new-look Inside the Gators
- Parental Perspective: Four-star’s father talks about the process and the UF staff
- September Superlatives
- OTM: Five-Game Stretch Should Determine Napier’s Future
Inside the Gators spoke with receiver Aidan Mizell‘s father, Wil Mizell, and defensive lineman Jalen Wiggins‘ father, Walter Wiggins, about the 2025 football season to date, Billy Napier, and the state of Florida football.
Here are their responses:
While there is a point where parents have to let their children go, you obviously still want to be updated on what is going on with them. What is the interaction like with the Florida staff and you as a parent of a player?
Mizell: “Usually, the only people that I talk to on a regular basis, and probably the same with all parents, is that everything’s going good as far as health. I would say the vast majority of my contact is through the training staff to make sure he’s doing well when he does get banged up and has little injuries. They’re doing their part to keep everybody kind of up on what’s going on and what the prognosis is and how he’s going to recover.”
Wiggins: “They have been responsive, and everything has been good with that.”
What has the overall experience been like for your son, you and your family to this point? Highs/Lows?
Mizell: “It’s college football, you’re going to get a lot of ups and a lot of downs in the beginning of the season, especially this one, just the amount of talent they have and their expectations. Sometimes the expectations are so little farther beyond where those kids are at the moment, and I think that’s kind of what happened this year. They kind of boosted them up a little too much, and things weren’t quite set as far as they’re playing up to their abilities. That might be some of the play calling, but it just it is what it is it’s going to happen, it’s college football, there’s going to be really good weeks and really bad weeks.”
Wiggins: “Jalen is really enjoying himself, and we’re really proud of what he has accomplished so far. He’s been working out and getting stronger, and getting better conditioned. Last week was one of the three selected for the Gator Scholar Athletes of the week. He has really been enjoying himself, and that’s what we’re most proud of, you know. He played multiple sports: football, basketball, and baseball so, he’s always had, you know, a heavy workload. Everything’s been pretty good for him, and he’s been managing it really well.”
What has your experience been like dealing with the Gator Nation, either in person at games or online? Not only as far as your son goes, but the overall impression of how Florida fans are toward the team as well.
Mizell: “I think there’s a player-parent perspective, obviously, you’re going to be a little more hypersensitive to the negatives because you know how much work these kids put into what they’re doing, and you know they live, eat, and breathe football. This is all-consuming to these kids, so when you hear and see stuff about them not performing maybe the way people think they should or doing things they shouldn’t, kind is upsetting. You know these kids are all in, they’re given 110% it just doesn’t always work out as production on the field. I think their expectations weren’t unsubstantiated. These kids are massively talented. I think offensively, it’s just taking forever for them to get the wheels turned on. Defensively, they’re playing lights out, I mean, they can’t get much better than they’re doing, and obviously, offensively, there’s a lot to be desired. If you watched the film after and are objective about what you’re looking at, they’re very close to being an undefeated team this year. In the SEC, when we’re talking about the level of play, everybody’s trying to get to the NFL, so you’re going to see a big difference on that negative side of things when it comes to bad decisions.”
Wiggins: “You understand the disappointment in people, I mean as far as just being the parents we’re going to the tailgates, and you know the Gator Walk being with fans has been fine. Not a nasty crowd or anything like that, where they’ve treated us bad. Coming into the year, and they haven’t lived up to their expectations people are disappointed and dealing with that, but nothing to the point where people are just going crazy. There is never a time where I would wish for the Gators to lose, I don’t know why people think that’s a solution as your team. I want them win out.”
What is your perception of NIL at Florida and college football in general? While only the very top players are making huge money, how do you feel about how your son is doing NIL wise? How much of a factor is NIL?
Mizell: “It’s good for these kids, especially going to big money schools. The base, as far as support, is huge, so obviously the money that you produce is huge. I think it’s a good thing because you have the right people around you and with the staff and with your family, to kind of keep things in perspective. What you are going to do with the money you’re getting, and how they are handling that, which is good because that’s the learning curve. It will set these young men up for success later on in life.”
Wiggins: “Coming into it, it’s a blessing, but it wasn’t like a predominant, you know, the overriding factor which led him to select Florida, which he grew up a fan was scholastically. The university offered him everything that he wanted athletically, and it was his dream school academically. We have relationships there with the athletes that have developed over the years. Being able to reach out and connect with different individuals in the engineering department with some boosters has been everything he dreamed of. He has put everything to the side, and he has a Florida alum helping him financially.”
What is your impression of Billy Napier, your son’s position coach, and the UF staff in general?
Mizell: “Character-wise wise they are doing a job as far as raising them [the players] and holding them accountable. I won’t give personal opinions on play calling because all that to me is kind of silly, because I’m not a football coach, and I’m not an offensive football coach. I see a lot of athletes out there, I don’t think maybe they’re utilizing their athletes as well as they could, but there are so many variables that go into why you know certain players aren’t getting the ball more or why certain players aren’t getting utilized.”
Wiggins: “Over the years, even if you look in the pros, you see a lot of these kids flourishing and they have developed. Not only people who were here at first, but transfers, too. With the draft last year, those guys who came in, especially even the transfers, weren’t looked at as being high-caliber prospects, but developed well and are now in the process of doing great things. George Gumbs and Kamran James are eligible this year because they’re juniors, but you see in write-ups from on the field and what people have thought about their projections in the next draft, so you know that’s all coach Mike Peterson for developing those kids. It’s not like there were some big five-stars blowing everybody away and everybody was saying it was going to be the next best thing; those kids developed into some really good ballplayers.”
Florida is off to a 1-3 start coming out of the bye week. What is it like to see so many in the fanbase calling for Napier’s job? How closely does your family follow the team at this point? What do you think of where UF stands right now?
Mizell: “I mean, I thought that they’d be better off this year as far as where they are record-wise, but at the same time, as I was saying before, the SEC and this schedule, they are not doing themselves any favors if you’re not calling perfect games. I mean, I hate it for the coaching staff in general because I know how much time, effort, and energy they’re putting into not just you know coaching football, but also being with those young men, and then you know they kind of live and die a small little death every week just along the right along with the players.”
Wiggins: “I mean, I’ve played sports and understand it from a coaching standpoint where you’re just trying to do things the right way and put things in the proper place. I stay away from most of the social media outlets or even the talking heads, like I said before. I do understand. I had high expectations, especially at a school of this caliber, and expected things to be different from the way in which they ended last year on such a high note. I said it before, he’s one of the reasons why our son chose Florida. I believe in his principles and trying to get guys to understand. I’m a realist too, though, if they don’t win after the bye, then I can see things changing.”
Is there an unshared or not widely known instance, funny story, anecdote, or anything you would like to share?
Mizell: “I think we still have a lot of football to play, and I think there’s always the ability to kind of turn that program around. Everything seems doom and gloom right now, but you know we win two or three in a row, and all of a sudden people are excited again. I try to stay as optimistic as possible. Everything isn’t always looking great, but one game can make a big difference.”
2 comments