Is Fan apathy setting in?

If you’re referring to the bowl game that’s not a fair comparison. Half the O’line bailed for that game and several more, including Ventrill Miller on the other side of the football. And how many snaps had Jack Miller taken before that game?
Oregon State was highly motivated and without any “opt-outs” if I remember correctly.

 

Hard to argue he had trouble or didn’t have the tools to recruit if he just pulled in arguably the best class in college history

 

True - but Mullen was an OC back then, with Meyer running the show. Big difference from when Mullen was running the show. That was my point

 

Impossible to prove one way or the other, but man, that just sounds absurd. Kyle Trask finished 4th in Heisman voting in 2020 and we won 8 games. If we are talking hypotheticals to reach conclusions would you also have to consider whether or not we have Montrell Johnson and Etienne if Mullen is still here? How about an all American right guard? Ricky Pearsall? Their were quite a few big contributors on offense that Napier brought in that only managed 6 wins. Lets not forget about a bad to terrible defense mostly consisting of Mullen recruits.

 

Do any of the games AR lost also get excuses

 

I didn’t realize I was making excuses for Miller. Just trying to identify what happened as I saw it.
AR has never done anything to embarrass UF off the field and provided some great moments for us on the field. I’m a huge fan of his going forward. If he were hanging around another year I would be excited to see if he could realize his potential. He didn’t come close last year. As it is I hope he becomes a HOF QB in the NFL.

 

Apathy might also have to do with getting one season of play out of “the most athletic QB in NFL draft history.”

 

I actually forgot what we were talking about.

 

Well we had a top 4 QB pick

 

Who we got one season of play out of...

 

Excellent! It worked!

 

No excuse for Vandy or Kentucky last year. That’s definitely not all on AR because we were a bad team but I’df we could beat Utah, that says it all.

 

Ok that’s 2 losses there’s zero excuse for. What about the other 4

 

I typically don't like to compare us to other teams since it doesn't do any good but looking at FSU, Norvell got the time he needed after a rough couple years. Granted, anything would have been better after Taggart but they seem to have kept their support in place. Could have been easy to throw in the towel after the Jacksonville State game.
Going into his 4th year, they seem to have steadied the ship.

 

Agree completely

 

The other 4 were decent teams. He played really well against Tennessee and pretty good against FSU and it was not his fault at all that those games were lost.

 

Exactly, the sky is not falling when you have a bunch of freshman and sophomore is trying to lead a team. Give them some time.

 

If AR would have gotten two or three years on the field and still look like he looked last year, he would not have 25 million guaranteed right now. I don’t know if he’s going to be great or a bus but I know that kid is getting paid.

 

I totally agree with you, ET.. There are far too many unrealistic fans here that think Napier is on a hot seat. He is a program builder and that takes time. He's not a one hit wonder like Mullen was.

 

Why do you think that people are in your frame of mind? Who is "we" when you start your diatribe about Napier and his coaching? And then you say "everyone" as if that were true too. Many people would be upset with another losing season, but why even go there right now? We have several months before we see just how much our team has changed... and I believe it's changing for the better.

Every thing else you posted is a defeatist's mindset and not a healthy outlook. I say healthy because we very well could have a 9 or 10 season for all you know. And that's where many of us fans like to remain mentally until we see the season play out. That's not pie in the sky, that called educated guessing/optimism. I see the upgrades that Napier is bring in from the coaches to the players, and the portal players too. We will be better next year, IMHO.

At this point in the off season the only thing I am wondering about is if we can land that one and done QB that I think will put us on better footing for this coming season. But even if we don't get that QB in the portal I am happy with what Napier and his army have been doing so far. For me personally he addressed every concern that he can address so far in this off-season.