Any concerns when starters enter the portal?

This is one point. The other is that we are seeing the pendulum swinging WAY over to the players side. If you are not careful, you will have over-invested into it and may bankrupt yourself. Methinks we may be behind but we are not watching the ship sail away. Taking measured steps instead of doing the Ruiz thing.

 

The game to me reminds me of casino gambling. When it was Las Vegas (Bama) it looked like a great model to follow (if you are so inclined). And so, Atlantic City (Clemson) got into the game. Suddenly, everyone has a "plan" and now AC isn't such a great idea anymore.

 

This was obvious.

No sugarcoating the situation. We’ve got issues, and we have to hope that Napier can adjust quick, not make decisions out of panic, and “learn on the job”, as we have no choice.

Those that believe that this is some type of grand master plan by Napier the CEO are not using their Top 5 Public University education

 

LMAO at this thread

 

Several posters are announcing the news that the Gator Football team has issues!
Duh, we all were aware of that news by the middle of the 2021 football season! Mullen started spinning that Portal door for the Gator players.

Too many of you guys are a part (maybe a small part) of the reason why Gator players are jumping into the Portal. Your postings criticizing Napier's coaching abilities and the players is adding fuel to the fire for our guys to go to the Portal.

Another contributor is the Media. The media does pay some attention to internet boards. Swamp Gas is probably a small contributor to the Media. However small that contribution is, it still has the same effect like blood dripping into salt water.

The Media is like a pack of sharks. They are always on the lookout for a coach who is on the bubble. There are other sharks in the waters around the Gator Football program. Those sharks are the recruiters for the other schools that the Gators are competing with. These recruiters will look under all of the rocks and into nooks and crannies for issues. Issues they can use to spook recruits and current Gator players to leave/avoid UF.

This past spring and summer, I saw way too many postings that had unrealistic expectations on how good the 2022 Gators were going to be.

The current and past panic and bitching that we saw (and still are seeing) on Swamp Gas was predictable six months ago. Many of you guys need to take a breather and find something else to do.

I am one of the old Gator fans. I suffered through the Doug Dickless years. When that coach got his pink slip, Charley Pell was signed on to be the new HBC. Back then Charley was the hottest coach in college football. His fame came from turning the Clemson football program around. 1979 was Charley's first season with the Gators. The results of that season would of had many Gator fans slitting both wrists. That season was ZERO - TEN - ONE. That one tie was the high point of the season. Thankfully, Charley got the support he needed and the next season was 8 - 4 and the Gators rolled for almost 30 seasons. This good roll spoiled a lot of us.

At this time I will settle with a 6 -7 season instead of an 0- 10- 11 season.

Please note, that I am not saying that we cannot bitch and moan about the Gator players and coaches. I believe that the best way to limit that bitching and moaning is for all of us to have realistic expectations. Especially for the 2023 season. Our reactions will not be so knee jerking and with over the top negativity. In other words we will not be putting blood in the water.

Napier and his staff have a big job to do. They do not need the fan base mudding up the waters (or adding blood). We can do our part by being realistic with expectations and tempering our praises and complaints.

 

Great class for 2023. Albeit, whiffs on 5 stars kids.

Issues on the team? Yes, apparently. We haven't heard from Nick or Andrew on this, that the older players, (former regime kids) not all of them, haven't completely bought in to the new system. Some, consequently, have left. Some of this obviously hurts.

Billy will eventually be compiling a roster of his own kids the way he likes it. Plus losing a boatload of critical games too...it has to affect the kids already here.

The fix?

Time. And the portal.

Bill can't whiff on the portal or we'll be waiting longer then expected for a substantial turnaround.

Just my 2 cents on this day after Christmas adventure.

Go Gators.

 

I agree that we may not tolerate many more 6-6 seasons from CBN because he was brought to establish consistent progress with strong organization structure that will allow us to compete regularly and reload year to year. What I think we can/should tolerate is a clear sign of progress....fix the D and be competitive in all the games and gradually rise from 6-6 to 7-5/8-4 to 9-3 to 11-1 to 12-0. Along with this trajectory if we can reload through recruiting with good talent levels then we are on our way to the top.

 

I think anything short of 8-5 in 2023 means he’s a dead man walking in 2024.

 

That thought process is probably why UF is in the situation it is in. Expectations don’t meet reality.

 

I’m not telling you my personal demands on the subject. It’s not like I have any influence on the matter. I’m predicting that without that kind of measurable improvement, those who do have influence will give him his pro forma third season all the while looking for their Saban whom they hope is going to going to turn matters around decisively and in a timely manner.

 

And that is why UF is in the situation it is today. I also think the powers that be have bought into BN more than the fans.

 

That could very well be, presently. But the scenario here involves another recruiting class that falls outside of the Top 10, followed by another losing (or marginal winning) season. My prediction is that those same decision makers would not sustain their faith under such circumstances. But, just like you, I hope we don’t have to find out.

 

I don’t think BN is to blame for the recruiting not being on the level of the big boys. People are directing their angst in the wrong direction IMO. Many expect whoever comes in as HC will automatically compete with the elite. That’s not happening at UF anymore. We can certainly keep chasing the next best thing but I think the problems are more nuanced than that.

 

At your request, I am checking with you to advise you that your post is in a few ways.
1, I believe that you are using the current Portal Information on the web. You are not looking at the data on that page.
2, Yes, there are 21 Gators on that page. However, eleven of them left the team before the first game of this season.
3, As for the ten that left this season, only three are Freshmen. Hopefully Napier can hold on to most of that Freshman class.
4, We need to wait for the next half year to see who comes into UF by way of the Portal.
5, On the bright side, we are only losing nine seniors to graduation.

 

accurate

 

Too early to say, but a Graham Mertz throwing to our current crop of receivers is not going to win 8 games in 2023. Still time to address those issues though.

 

If ANYONE disagrees with this, I want my Bible autographed. Lol

 

I still don’t think Kirby is a great game-day coach, but he does know how to pick a staff and evaluate & recruit talent that fits his system….oh….and he does have a system.

 

I am quite confident we’d be in a pretty crappy place if we stuck with any of our previous mediocre coaches

 

100% spot on. Gotta grade out an A on portal pick ups this year.
Has 8-9 more very crucial spots to fill. At least 3-4 of these guys will have to be starters.