How often do head coaches who call plays give that up? If the play calling is a problem then the problem is HUGE.
This is not a good look. Black may be correct but social media has made rebuilds or learning curves much more difficult due to the incessant public criticism.
I remember back in July 2021 we had the 45th ranked class, but it was assumed we would jump higher since we had higher quality players than the other teams ahead of us but fewer numbers. That actually did not pan out. Mullen would end up losing 4 prospects, gain not a single OL recruit, zero LOI from defensive recruits. Essentially, Dan only cared about offense and even then only cared about 2 positions - QB and receiver. He couldn't care less if we had an offensive line of 1 star players. Dan was about to perfect the art of filling gaps via the portal. That's a hit and miss because you don't know if you can gel a team full of transfers. The portal does help a team fill needed gaps but it's not meant to build an entire team. I really don't think that the idea of "One and Done" in college football will ever work like it sometimes does in basketball. Too many moving parts - you have 22 positions to fill in football vs 5 in basketball.
The lack of talent can't be denied. It is the root of all our problems right now. Reality check: There are and will be some moments-but we can't expect much more with this roster. We have some studs, just not enough to field a competitive team. Etienne stands out to me. Johnson too. Miller. O'Cyrus. Couple of other Big Uglie's. Those guys are consistent. I'm leaving off AR because flashes of greatness/potential don't create greatness-he's struggling mightily IMHO and needs a carbon fiber exoskeleton and extensive development! The immediate future of the program lurks in the portal and in top 'immediately-playable' recruits. The long term is top 5--8 recruiting classes forever. We are currently suffering and existing in the subterranean realm just below the quagmire of mediocrity. Yeah, it blows. This will change. Have faith! Go Gators.
He's staying. That one offensive lineman is Napier's. Not a single lineman from Mullen is worth being on the scout team at Georgia. Also our best RB is Napier's. Imagine if we could have gotten a receiver too.
I agree and think it shows a mental strength that's beyond their ability at this time. Instilling mental toughness has been quite an accomplishment for Billy after a decade of futility.
Very interesting stat Nick compiled. Had 16 third down plays on offense, needed an average of 10.1yds to gain a first down - wow!
AR's strength is predicated on his ability to run. However, he's so fragile that everytime he runs I expect him to get up and limp. Maybe that's why they are trying to force him to be a passer, but he just doesn't have that skill set at this time. I don't see him not staying as an option, unless he transfers. He's no where close to NFL ready, and I don't really see him doing much at the next level unless he turns it on overnight somehow.
Since the margin for error is so small for this team, we need to at least not give the opponents a short field. I think the the analytics use is fine for a team that's somewhere at the same competitive level of the opponent.
Billy Napier does not run fast paced, high tempo, effective offense. He never will and no amount of recruiting will change this. Napier runs the outdated pistol offense and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if he's using plays from the 80s straight outta his daddy's high school coaching playbook. Stop blaming poor Mullen recruiting on the current state of affairs. It's an insult to the current players on the team. Furthermore, it's a bigger lack of coaching insight on Napier's part for not benching Richardson. I don't care how many dazzling runs he rarely makes, or the even more rare unexplained 50yd touchdown passes only for him to go radio silent for three more quarters directly after, and I especially don't care about this being his first year starting (the season is more than half over so stop with that noise). Richardson is not quarterback material. At times (especially during the Georgia game) it's as if Napier has no idea what he's doing as a coach. It's 4th down in the redzone and Napier doesn't use a time out, instead he has Richardson looking confused again and a pass is darted incomplete. Kirby on the other had had a safety blitz called for the situation and it works. Dawgs get the ball back and run a near 9 minute drive to milk the clock to end the game. Napier again uses no timeout or blitz dialed in to stop this.
Um, no, Smart is strictly a pure horsepower kind of coach. No Jesse's and Joe's, no wins. Spurrier won the ACC championship at Duke.
I know you don't like to let facts get in the way of your opinions, but Meyer inherited a boatload of talent. He didn't start out following the worst decade of Gators football since the 70s.
He inherited far better talent than Billy has. Mark Richt could recruit, something that the 3 coaches prior to Napier didn't do very well.
Zook's classes were balanced, Muschamp's were rated high, but he wasn't that great on the offensive side of the ball in his recruiting. Zook's recruiting was the foundation for Meyer's first NC. Muschamp didn't recruit a national championship team because of the imbalance in his recruiting classes.
Mostly agree but again, Zook left gaping holes as well and it took some player position conversions and a grad transfer along with really good injury luck and stellar coaching to get a title from that 06 team. Gotta work with what you have
CMR was a great recruiter and a well above-average coach. Typically had 9-10 win seasons, but couldn’t win the “big games” to get over hump. After a while that got him canned.
There is nothing wrong with the coaching staff or the HBC or the scheme that a couple of top 5 recruiting classes won't fix. Neither Smart nor Saban nor Kiffin is any kind of magician. It is all about the Jimmies and Joes. Recruiting is the difference. It's going to boil down to whether Napier and company can attract 4/5 star talent on a consistent basis. It they do the future is bright; if not the pressure cooker will start to sputter and spit; in fact it already has. That's Florida football in a nutshell.
