Is Fan apathy setting in?

I just think we’ve been fooled one too many times in this modern era of college football. Muschamp, Mac, Mullen, and an uninspiring first year for Napier.

I think most fans understand it’s not fair to judge Napier on his first year in a vacuum, but they also understand the reality that he’s in an uphill battle that likely won’t even be fixed this season.

Reality has hit us so many times in the face we’re becoming more “realists” than “hopeless romantics.”

Napier can absolutely right the ship and recruiting seems to have been good, but I’ve seen enough spring games to not hold my breath this time of year. Spring game really doesn’t tell you much about the team as a whole, just gives you an idea of what players to keep an eye on.

 

The fact that there is clearly an upper tier in college football that there’s almost no way we’re touching (yet) certainly doesn’t help things.

 

Fans see a 6 win season plus a probable 5 to 7 win 2023.

It just seems never ending. I hope Napier can turn it around

 

The cracks were there under Mullen but it's just still crazy how fast it all fell apart. The reality of him keeping his buddies around who clearly weren't at this level showed out in a massive way. We could've hired Hall of Famers at every spot and we'd still be dealing with the same issues. We'll see on Napier but he deserves time, Mullen walked into a much better situation than was perceived at the time, Napier's was just beyond terrible. Mac at least got evaluations correct, I'm just shocked Mullen who had to find under the radar guys at Miss St literally didn't find anyone. Hevesy's rep of finding under the radar guys who were fired up because Miss St was their only SEC offer and they'd literally do anything turned into absolutely nothing.

 

Falling on our face at the end of last season didn't help either.

 

They pay up, recruit, whatever you want to call it.

 

Maybe a weird take, but my apathy is born of avoiding disappointment. Getting hyped up about and watching a game like UK last year would ruin my day, and carry into Sunday, where I got the privilege of watching the Bears. After so many games like that, now I kind of just go in with an attitude of it is something to do for a couple hours but I don't really care all that much about the result.

 

Understand gatorwalrus. The higher you allow your optimism and enthusiasm to rise the harder the fall.
But, after bleeding Orange and Blue for 70 years or so I don’t fight it. I’m an eternal optimist, but the most hurtful losses leave me with the knowledge that the sun will rise the next morning and in a few days I’ll be back to my usual optimistic self.

 

For the first time in our history, we can truly get fired up for Vandy and Kentucky. Tell me we're not going places.

 

Just going to watch Gator Women’s Gymnastics, Volleyball, or Softball from now on

 

I think we can but it seems like there's something bigger working against us. Not sure what it is but I'll call it culture for lack of a better word.

If you look at all the other teams at the top, how do they get their star players to show some loyalty and stay longer and not transfer or go to the NFL. Recent players that could have made a difference in our season but left - Richardson, Pitts, Trask, Toney, some OL etc...
Players from other teams that stayed even though they could have gone - Bryce Young, Will Anderson, FSU QB, any number of defensive players from UGA.

Somehow, these other schools get the players to stay at least one more year. I don't get it.

 

You already nailed it: culture.

That's something primary Coach Napier has been addressing since the day he started. It will take time though.

Also, as a player I'd stick around to be part of a championship team which Florida is also building towards perennially . . . and that will be part of the new culture as well, IMO.

 

We can whine all we want but the cupboard was empty and in the days of social media recruits don't need a lifeboat to abandon a sinking program they have jet packs.

It's also a dirty filthy business now.

Last years class was good, this years class gives one the impression of being potentially great.

I don't know what anyone can reasonably expect until the staff assembles top tier SEC talent to compete.

Napier, by all indications, is a class act, trying to build this thing up, inside and out.

Expect another rough campaign year 2.

Hopefully the staff will have the horses to compete in year 3 and excel in year 4.

If they can't by year 4 hit the reset button.

 

Archi - Not sure why you "don't get it".
Stay another year to compete for a title (SECE, SEC, National) or stay another year to play in the Vegas Bowl?

ET is right. Culture and winning is why they stay that extra year.

I would have liked to see Dexter come back but that's it. Our roster was filled with non-contributors and/or players that weren't a fit for Napier. This roster overhaul and change in culture will take one more recruiting cycle.

2024 will be the year of the Gator.

 

Trask and Toney were both here for four years. Young and Anderson were both at bama for only 3. The fsu qb doesn’t really have anywhere to go. All teams have some guys stay and some guys leave. Having a team that’s competing for something helps. Both bama and georgia have lots of transfers leaving. It’s part of the game now. Most kids just aren’t going to stay somewhere that they aren’t playing anymore. Most guys projected in the top rounds are going to head to the nfl.

 

Not trying to be snarky but you brought up some poor examples….

Young & Anderson were not eligible to be drafted until this year. Both top 5 picks ..as is Richardson & Pitts. You can’t possibly expect someone to turn that down. Toney was a 1st rounder …and FSUs QB would not have faired well in the draft in a heavy QB year. And I don’t think Trask would have helped his stock much by coming back.

I don’t think loyalty is any different here than anywhere else.

 

Yes. The higher you allow your optimism and enthusiasm to rise, the higher the expectations rise. That makes the fall so painful, and the typical fan reaction is to fire an unfavored coordinator or THE coach. Since 2001, no one in P5 had more head coaches than Florida.

 

Boom
We need to be patient while CBN rebuilds our program. If he doesn’t do it here he’ll do it somewhere else while we all watch and wring our hands and wonder why we keep bringing in bad hires.

The last 3 turned out to be bad hires. Napier is showing all the signs of being the right guy and anybody who can’t see that doesn’t want to. But he needs time to build a deep roster (essentially from scratch) and he also needs to be granted enough time on the learning curve. The move from coaching “Subdivision “ to P5 is as profound as the jump from playing HS ball to SEC ball. All this man needs is patience from Gator Nation and he’ll get us back to the mountain.

Go Gators

 

For clarity, it's not entirely about win/lose. If they play well and lose, Tenn game for instance, then so be it. It has been watching what is IMHO bad football. Poor execution, questionable play calling, clock management, can't tackle, etc.

The USF game was the worst game of the season and they won it.

 

I sure hope so . The opening tilt is a must win/can’t lose game though, imho. Otherwise the long knifes will likely come out and get sharpened.