IMO, your business model isn't in play anytime soon. I don't see us going up against the Big 4 (if you add Clemson) in recruiting elite talent. As bad as it sounds, the current Vandy model is closer to reality. What separates them from years past is a great college QB. If Lagway has that magical year we hope, he will recruit players for his final year.
We should have DJ for another 2 years. To speculate on what happens after he leaves is a futile exercise. Any move that is made isn't permanent. Any scenario that is possible is transient, like the following. We hire a very good OC, Napier changes our system, and the OC stays one year and leaves. Napier himself has a different career path. Roberts leaves and we need to revamp the D. IMO, we are fortunate to have DJ for another 2 years, (assuming he stays). If he has the success i think is possible, recruiting should pick up. After 14-15 years of mediocre football, I would be happy to get some consistency and have our team steadily improve with playoff possibilities in the next year or two.
"Catch the defense off guard going down the field"??? Lol, that's exactly what the defense is guarding against on 3rd on long, and exactly why so many coaches call screens/draw plays in that situation. Defense is dropping guys and opening things up underneath
There are plenty of GNFP reviews of the inadequacies of our offense to review. James is a pretty good guy to break things down for everyone and I think he has pointed these issues out most of the year. Most of the commentary of our 3rd down play calling suggests we bunch everyone up at the line and the defense cheats up knowing full well most of our plays in third and long will be conservative plays designed for the short pass and blocking to spring the receiver or managing to run several players into the same area either by design or incompetence. This is exactly why opposing defenses do not drop guys against our offense into deep coverage and why our 3rd down and longs are rarely converted. As such running routes past the first down marker would in fact be a surprise to the other teams.
I know a lot of Gator fans and dont know one that would be satisfied with the "Vandy model". If that is the reality, the golf courses and fishing holes will be getting a lot more crowded on Saturdays in the fall.
It's a sports message board in the off season, almost everything here is speculative and opinion based. I would also kick back on the 14-15 years of mediocre football line I often read here (not just you). Certainly, the last 5 years have been mediocre if not worse, however since Meyer left we have had 5 seasons with 9 or more wins. That may not be Meyer/SOS level but it certainly isnt mediocre IMO. I would be thrilled to get 9 wins next year.
It national championship with the best roster in the nation if you just have a solid quarterback. We don't have the roster that Georgia and Ohio State has and we need the better quarterback to win if Georgia had a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback they probably win the national championship last year.
No Heisman winners, but the top 3 qbs in the 2025 NFL draft, Sanders, Ward and Dart played for teams that did not make the playoffs. Maybe Lagway plays above that level, maybe not. Just sayin it takes more than a great QB to even make the playoffs.
Nothing wrong with that, Billy needs to put up or shut up. This 8 wins is good enough garbage needs to go away. Year 4. Playoffs or bust.
I said "CLOSER" to reality. The Big 4 are in New York, Vandy is in California. We are more in the plain states and not in Jersey. Sorry to bring you the bad news.
What makes you think we are prepared to go into the deep end of the pool? Our Top 5 recruiting classes? Our hiring of Chip Kelly to be our OC? Our magical way of stealing 5-star recruits on the signing day? Okay, we kind of did that with Dallas Wilson, but otherwise...
The last 15 years...5 years with 9 or more wins, 5 years with a losing record, and 5 years somewhere in the middle. It seems to me it's mediocrity. The previous 15 years (1995-2009) 12 years with 9 or more wins, 0 years with a losing record, and 3 years in the somewhere in the middle .. This seems to me to be playing at an elite level (not medicority).
If any of the top three teams had Jackson dart they would've won the national championship. Ole Miss was not it.
