Fixing Florida Cont'd: Before Fall!!!

It certainly debatable but I believe Florida suffered more defensively due to the youth in the secondary and flop of some of last year's portal additions more than bad coaching. Put in a freshman
corner and expect to be burned deep (and we were in early part of season). Put in inexperienced safeties and expect missed assignments. These should've been expected growing pains.
None of transfer linebackers produced last year and once James went out speed at position wasn't good.

I like that Harris and Roberts are focusing on fundamentals and tackling. Being out of position, taking bad angles and poor tackling were major contributors to a defense that turned simple plays into horse races to the endzone, over and over again.

 

I think doc is on the right track, last year was about youth and inexperience too but it was mostly coaching and their lack of teaching winning football. That all starts with the fundamentals like blocking and especially tackling. Our defense never learned how to tackle properly and we missed far too many easy open field tackles.

The new coaches are key to our success this coming season... learn the basic fundamentals and we have a far better team than the team we had last year. Even with the tough 2024 schedule, I feel positive about this coming season.

The players and the coaches are all saying the right things in pressers... it just needs to translate to actions. Words are cheap, but it's our actions that change the reality of our team and where we are compared to where we will be moving forward as a football program.

I like what I hear... now I just have to like what I see. We all need to see that change.

 

Don't forget UF has some guys coming back from injury that could really help in the rotation, Boone among others.!

Like the optimism fellow Gators!

 

Any improvement is music to my ears. But I'd settle for last years offense with a better defense. I'd prefer improvement across the board, but anything positive is a bonus!

Napier has made some impressive changes this year with regards to coaching. Couple more portal kids and things are looking up!!

Go Gators.

 

I'd like to see big improvements in the special teams. Esp in these 2 areas...
1) Kicking FG. Our starting kicker at Utah clearly had issues- we had a huge improvement once we switched. How did our coaches not know this?
And while we improved a lot from that kicker- our kicking still could have been so much better.
2) Punt returns. The Mizzou game was winnable, and everyone remembers 4th and 17. (Thanks Etn!) But we forget our D had a few stops and forced punts, which we would let roll dead- which lost 10+ yards of field position.

Both these things are not hard to fix. They don't require 5 stars on top of 5 stars.
Just some time and attention.

 

What positions are on your spring portal list of needs/wants?

 

Practice is different than games for kickers. You can't be 100% sure until pressure of a real game is applied.

We've been conservative on punt returns for awhile. I would love to see one of our speedsters at wr or db become a real weapon returning punts.

 

Trey was perfect on extra points and 17/21 on fg’s after he won the job. For reference, Evan Mcpherson was 17/22 his last year here. Piniero was 21/25 his first year here and the entire crowd chanted for him. Once Trey took over, our fg kicking was pretty solid. He was also a very solid place kicker all year.

 

1. Replace any contributors lost to the spring portal.
2. WR: We are ok on paper but one injury to the top 4 would be tough.

 

I’d like to see a proven edge pass rusher, possibly a guard and a proven deep threat at wr depending on coaching assessments at those positions.

Also, I’m not convinced that spring portal will be as limited as it’s been the past 2 springs because of the court ruling suspending governance of transfers. Some opportunity for schools to go after transfers with few limits. One sports analyst/celebrity suggested it was going to be open season. I’m just not sure this year simply follows the example of past spring portals

 

Uman?

 

Outstanding Leap?
If the gators win 10 games plus a bowl game, Napier could get SEC Coach of the Year.

 

I agree Smack was a good kicker, but I don't think he was a great one.
He missed a 44 yarder to beat Arkansas. That changes the season right there.

He also missed 2 key FGs vs FSU. (48 and 52.) Make just one of those and the game changes and perhaps we win. (Perhaps...)

So if our kicker makes 3 FGs more last season..
1) vs Utah (Not Smack)
2) Vs Arky
3) 1 of the 2 vs FSU...

The season changes.
Kicking is so important but so many coaches treat it as an after thought.

Hopefully our 24 kicking improves over Smack's good but not great year in 23.

 

Just saying, his numbers are right in line with some of the better ones we’ve had in recent years.

 

So he just needs to be perfect