Not sure about the Russia reference. I care about UF also. Just saying what good did it do to comment publicly other than to bring negativity to the program that others will try to use to their advantage
Emeritus AD. He doesn’t reside in Gainesville or play an active role but gets consulted and has input on things.
If you read his comments, I want to know who is the "we" he referred to. Who specifically is he speaking for. If you're going to go public on the problems then you have to have the solution. What is his solution?
Spurrier is employed by the UAA. He is like the “football ambassador” or something like that. “We” can very well be people in the UAA. The “army” has not produced any tangible results while eating up more and more financial resources. You know the UAA financial folks are gonna have an opinion on that.
Does SOS understand a college coach and AD doesn't distribute the NIL $ around to players like salaries in NFL? The coach may provide some notional thoughts like, this guy is a REALLY important get, or something like that, but the NIL is a third party. And, everyone knows our NIL collective was a total mess a couple of years ago.
A dollar to a coach is a dollar away from NIL. yes the schools can’t pay directly but they influence fundraising. The UAA can say “we have our expenses covered, donate to NIL instead”
A lot of coaches think they're the smartest guy in the room no matter what room. The only one I think that truly applies to is Steve Spurrier. He knows damn well the new NIL, changes in portal rosters ad nauseam. I would be willing to bet that he gave this some thought before speaking like this. He clearly likes Billy like most of us do, but he sees operational faults that could be leading to a third losing season for Billy. Nobody hates losing more than the head ball coach, and I still believe he bleeds orange and blue like very few others do. There is no one whose opinion I value more than SOS when it comes to UF football. You want me to trust this process, or AD, or "army" more than Spurrier? That makes me laugh out loud. Call me out of touch or boomer or whatever, I say- win the SEC a few times and I'll listen to your process, otherwise Damn the torpedoes- Go gators!!! I'm a patient man, and I want Napier to succeed. But IF he doesn't then add him to the list of not good enough.
So Spurrier flat out says Etienne "was our best running back"...guy must be going senile because all I heard around here was second string had short arms and couldnt block... Id never question any evaluation of talent from SOS.
I think SOS has bitten his tongue more than once re BN ineptitude with on and off field decisions. BN has been given so much and has done so little with what he has been given. I can guarantee you SOS is more than concerned like most of us. BN gets the champion of life award, a good character guy but little more. When Steve comes out and says something he is like most diehard gator fans who likewise aren't happy. This is a make or break year for BN. A UF loss to Miami and the fat lady is clearing her throat.
Regarding Gator football, no one’s words have more heft with me than Spurrier’s. I can’t help but feel like he is growing a bit frustrated. But then, we all are to varying degrees. What makes our situation so difficult right now is the fact that CBN is our 4th coach since Meyer and he has made positive changes. He has also proved to be a top notch recruiter even though he came to us during a period in which college football, particularly recruiting, was undergoing profound charge. We REALLY need to have a good season this year and it starts with Miami and from there the most important game of the season is the next game. I don’t give a damn who it is.
With the portal transfer and NIL changing the landscape of football, building a program brick by brick in years past is no longer the case. If a coach/program is not competent in this area the program will suffer. Two prime examples is Washington and fsu, they worked the portal almost perfectly. In BN's first two years we were not great at all with portal results. Lastly, BN seems wanting to duplicate bama's program of hiring an army of assistants and that ain't working. Seems you have to hire the right people if you're going that route, and when you look at the turnover of assistant coaches at UF in these past two years it appears this too is a botched effort. But I'm sure it will all be evaluated.
Huh? My comment was in reference to SOS quote. "One quarterback making a million bucks isn't going to win championships," Spurrier said. "It's about a team believing in each other… I hope the guys around (Graham) Mertz and Lagway are getting their fair share [of NIL money]. As a coach, you don't just have to balance your guys athletically, you got to balance them financially. It's a balance when you're paying players." A coach can't balance players financially since they are not being paid by UAA. Maybe they should, but currently they aren't supposed to even be in on the discussions between the athlete and the third party.
