You have to do both, but you can't portal your way to consistent success. These guys are leaving where they are for a reason and many times its of their own doing. Still think we're 3-4 years away from any realistic chance of a conference championship or national consideration. It is possible with the expanded field that we could sneak into the 12 team playoff before then. It would be a short stay though. We won't be able to matchup with the top 5 until our roster improves significantly.
I've never understood it. They talk about being the best, but want to have a Vandy reputation. You can't do both.
They let Mullen sign a ton of non qualifiers. Previously, we had not even been able to send an loi to those kids. I kind of feel like we’ve relaxed our standards there, but the kids still have to pass through the ncaa clearinghouse. If they can’t do that, there’s not much we can do for them.
But getting INTO the playoffs would be a huge moral boost for the fan base, even as #12. I know it would for me. Personally speaking, I don't think any coach could have come into the UF situation when Napier did and have achieved much more, sure, maybe another couple of wins but I agree with those that suggest UF is a top to bottom rebuild that will take a few years.
Lets not kid ourselves though, Jawja and OSU are tied at 16 for public university. Not top 5, but….. UF was always the most risk adverse organization I ever did work for. My take is extremely dated, so, ymmv. Things might have changed.
the big thing I don't get is the anger and resentment toward NIL now that we are allowed to play the game like the other big schools without fear of ncaa sanctions. Now that it's legal some really hate it and many fans don't want to participate. So many people seem angry at the players getting a very small piece of a multi billion dollar machine (which it's been for years) and that it's "ruining" college football for the athletes you are fans of to legally receive money. Or heaven forbid when the athletes you're fans of get better living conditions. The horror. The same fans/administration that are dead set AGAINST the spending money "arms race" expect to get top recruiting classes while bashing their own star athletes for receiving benefits. The "purity" you're looking for is either long gone or existed only in your heads. We can either compete and support star athletes or lose and fall further and further behind. Like it or not, it's really not up to the fans at all (despite all the ridiculous fan blaming when we lose games/coaches) it's up to the administration which has been slow/resistant to invest in football and content to ride on our "name" and our academic reputation, which is great. Yay for our academic reputation, I'm proud to be an alumni. But we can't not invest in football talent and then expect top recruiting. If people don't agree with me that's fine, all I'm saying is I have a feeling (based on the last however many years) that the administration isn't all in to be a top program monetarily and we are now as a football program where we'll be for the foreseeable future. We'll be exactly as good as the resources available to the program. And no amount of fan wishes/gripes/hopes actually have any bearing. Eventually fewer tickets may be sold, but those railing against the economic arms race will get their wish at that point and we will have athletes that came here for the love of the Gators but it probably won't be the product they were hoping for.
I'm not so much angry about NIL, but the reason of why it became inevitable: The NCAA abandoning its duty to create a fair playing field, and the ridiculous eligibility restrictions on athletes that had created a true NIL value that was completely unrelated to the sport they played. Otherwise your post is spot-on. In the academic area, UF has put resources into improving our ranking within the playing field that existed and has been rewarded for it. In athletic pursuits, particularly the revenue generators, they seem to be queasy about the current environment and taking partial measures in providing the support for the program to excel. I still don't see evidence that they have taken a two-footed plunge into the deep-end to try to compete. Its annoying to hear the Admin giving lip-service to giving their best to win, be patient, and then obviously not giving the team all the resources needed.
The administration does not run the NIL program. Blaming the university for a perceived poor NIL showing makes no sense to me. JMO, but this coaching staff has been given plenty of resources to succeed by the "administration". To say otherwise is just making excuses.
And therein lies the problem....they don't appear to want to get their hands dirty by doing the same thing the "elite" football and basketball programs are doing to compete.
I keep reading comments like this, but have yet to see any specific evidence of how the administration has hindered this coaching staff in putting a winner on the field.
So, ur saying other school's admin is running their NIL programs? Seriously? So cheat or go home is the mantra? Just curious.
You have 12 or so years of evidence, my friend...wash, rinse, repeat. Do you believe that over that same time frame that the Bama's, UGa's, and OSU's of the world have been on an even playing field as UF?
Of course they are involved....the athletic departments in some ways directly. The FBI probe of some of the top B'ball programs proved that even before NIL was legal. Either choose to compete in the environment you are in or don't. I would prefer they choose to compete. Just don't piss on my leg and tell me its raining.
