This is where I am sitting as well. There were too many WTF moments that occurred last season, lack of attention to detail, issues that weren’t related to the talent on the field, etc. Two players on the field with the same number, botched FG attempt against Arkansas, not having a sense of urgency on offense. Those are coaching issues, and not player issues. In my opinion, we had enough talent to win 2-3 more games last year. A few of those losses were not on the players, but on coaching decisions. Yes, having better talent would help/mask some of those issues, but it doesn’t excuse how disorganized we looked at times on the field.
I don't disagree with your points. However, I see much that did go right; additionally, much that could have gone right if players had executed the plays. So, I'm not ready to throw in the towel on BN. BTW, this post is about fixing Florida, but perhaps you feel as others do--that Florida cannot be fixed? Either way, I would encourage you to start a forum that simply enjoys bellyaching! I am the OP, and my intent was to look at what could be (aka hope), not what can't be (gloom and despair)! I recognize that some wish to be happy as a pig in excrement, but I don't (if that isn't you, then what I am saying doesn't include you)! I have said before, and I will say again, IMHO I think Billy would be better served with a ST coach and an OC. But, I guess that's why he's paid the big bucks.... I try to constantly think of how we could improve (aka an optimist or futurist). Florida had a decent season in 2023, considering how awful the OL played. There are no guarantees that the OL will do any better (although I feel it will). On offense, we have the unknown: OL and WR room. Last year, Pearsall opened up the game for Trey Wilson. What WR('s) will step up and have a breakout season? To me, the WR's need to run great routes, and Florida will have more wins than losses. If the WR's cannot get open, this fall will be painful to watch. So, obviously, the OL has to play as a unit and the WR's need to step it up, and most of us will be happy. Incidentally, if I offended you, that will tell me all I need to know. If not, why not share something that could fix the Gators?
Would you outline what went well? Staff's recruit and train players. That's their primary responsibility. Regurgitating Napier's "execution" seems to me, degrading. If you cite OL play, great, it was often inadequate. We had two OL coaches. Of course it can be fixed. You are responding to a poster who pointed out what needs to be corrected, or should not have occurred last season to have better results, but don't seem to accept that. But he has to do what's expected of a HC at a high level program and you should not take exception if a poster points out the obvious, critical deficiencies. Stating he's not constructing his staff correctly then saying "that's why he's paid the big bucks" is odd. He's paid the big bucks exactly to do what's expected and what's needed. That's only if you excuse how the OL played. But why would you when the HC chose to have two coaches? Yes, that's true for every team that plays the game, HS through NFL. He did, you just didn't like that he identified those things that fall directly on HC and his staff.
It’s not getting deeper. We are playing catchup. All the things Napier has been given, top programs( almost every sec program) have had these things all along. Getting what everyone else has all along doesn’t move the needle. Napier is filling the talent gap that has been created by The UF program. He took over the biggest dumpster fire Florida has had in forty years which is before we ever considered ourselves a football power. Mullen and UF created a second rate football program and UF finally woke up and decided to get with the program. Napiers first class was very small and that’s your true juniors. All others recruits besides the portal are youngsters. Some don’t realize how bad off our program was. This is the first year that I expect hs kids recruited by Napier to start to make a difference. Veteran? Nope not yet. Veterans win games. He’s got some talent now but they are too young. I really don’t expect much from the hs recruits this year. 5-8 wins looks like the realistic spread to me. It’s his job to get it closer to 8 but I wouldn’t bet on 8 without some really nice odds no matter who the staff is. This isn’t one of the better sec rosters. Give these same kids a couple more years and that’s the window for this group of youngsters. if this group is going to win it will be in 25 and 26. I don’t care who the coach is.
You can put any amount of titles in front of anybody’s name that you want but practice is run how it’s run regardless of prefixes. I don’t put a lot in a bunch of titles.
I’m Pretty much with you. Disorganization is terrible. Wins and losses are important but I just want to see somebody look like they’re well coached. we were the youngest team in the nation last year and youngsters make mistakes. I’m sure at times Napier feels like he has herding cats. players have to take responsibility also. When they call for a field goal, if you don’t know if you’re supposed to be on the team or not, perhaps you should be put in special ed class
With Emitt Smith telling black players to stay away due to DeSantis banning DEI in Florida universities, we are in for the long haul.
Billy may be the most handicapped coaching hire in the history of Florida football. He took over a program with very little talent and no stars. He was not known and not a splashy hire, so had very little energy attached to his name. Put under immense pressure. Then given the toughest 3 year schedule in the history of college football to navigate. What could go wrong? If he can turn this around, and get UF hot again, only one man would deserve that credit.
I guess that 90% of the current Gator Football team members have been play on football teams since 4th grade. These guys have been coached/instructed for at least seven seasons' Thus, by their Freshman season at UF they should have football awareness, especially at game time. Thus a lot of the mistakes that we have seen in the past two seasons are owned by the players. I am not coming down too hard on the players. They are still young and they are human. We have to remember that the coaches cannot be held responsible for the results of every play in every game. Nor should the players. This is a team game that the coaches and the players own.
Well, what’s the difference between our tales then? Are you suggesting “five years no matter what?” Because I don’t see how a third losing season with no end in sight will be acceptable by the stakeholders.
Actually Ole Miss won 11 games last year and their fans are excited about the coming season. Right now that sounds damn good to me.
The problem here is that you want to make a judgment based on two years, I have not. I'm asking you, can you possibly see what could fix Florida? This is an exercise in futuristic thinking. You are capable, but are you willing? Your answer will depend on whether I respond again.
I have not made a judgment based on two years. I am prepared to make a judgment based on three years and not wait for five. The only idea I have railed against is the attitude that this third season, no matter how poorly it goes, would not be sufficient grounds to look for a new coach. I want Napier to come out swinging against Miami and beat them straight into the turf. I want to see a Gator team of old that puts away miserable bottom-feeders like Kentucky and Mississippi State midway through the third quarter and at least competes with the teams who are ahead of us right now, such as LSU and Ole Miss. And I think seven wins is a reasonable goal for this team given the resources Napier has had access to. If Napier starts showing some wins this season, then for all I care he can keep doing the weirdo practices with special teams, the offensive line, etc. If he doesn’t, then he needs to go do bizarre coaching practices somewhere else. To answer your question directly, most of this program's ills with recruiting, locker-room chemistry, etc. would be improved most by stacking up wins. But the biggest obstacle to winning the winnable games for the past two years has been coaching, not the players. So I think the real question is, is this coaching staff a learning organization or not? If it is, we will see significant changes this season, and the wins will follow, and the locker room chemistry will follow that, and the recruiting will follow that. If it is not a learning organization (just as Muschamp’s staff was not), then we will see much of the same head-scratching decisions as the last two years, and nothing will change. I hope that answered your question.
Somewhere, Ron Zook is smiling... Remember fireronzook.com and when it was released? It was released BEFORE he set foot in Gainesville. A prominent poster called Zook "the worst head coach in the history of football, going down to the Pop Warner level" and many here strongly agreed with him, even though he went 8-5, 9-4 (on the field) and 7-4 while starting 13 new starters EACH year and starting a true freshman QB his second year. I have been a strong supporter of Billy for the first two years, but I wonder how Zook would have felt if he was given the same latitude, not for losing seasons, but for failing to sustain the Spurrier Standard?
When Billy was announced as a candidate I was pretty excited based on his record at Louisiana, and didn't really do much research beyond looking at records at that time. The turnaround at Louisiana was due to Billy, yes, but he essentially took tracing paper to Bama's infrastructure and brought it to the Sunbelt Conference. Louisiana committed to spending money to mimic that type of organization at a smaller scale where other schools in the conference were not really attempting it. They did a great job at ID-ing underrated talent but were basically just able to out recruit and over talent their competition at that level. Unfortunately, there were still head scratching coaching decisions and poor game day decisions from coaching staff there which were strikingly similar to what we saw here the past two seasons. The difference is, Billy and staff are now going up against organizations with similar or better levels of resources and talent. The noticable lack of advantage on the talent front has been putting a spotlight on the deficiencies we saw with coaching, preparation, and player development.
Disagree regarding job negotiations. Had Dan wanted to rebuild the program, he could have said he needed this, this and this. If not, it seems that he was only here for the paycheck and thats seems to be fairly accurate as it turns out. he was a prick when he left and said some nasty things about UF that he caused. In my book, that disqualifies him from the Ring of HONOR forever.
Respectfully, what does that have to do with this? Ron Zook got a raw deal with how he was treated from Day 1. Fireronzook was the beginning of what was to come with social media and all the negativity that comes with it. I will say that I felt Zook's leash was a bit too short and he got absolutely screwed by refs st Tennessee and at home agsinst fsu. I think he might have survived for another year if Urban wasn't available but he did himself no favors not just losing to Miss state but in the fashion that they did. While Zook did have his share of issues, I think he is the one coach we have gone through that was given too short a leash. Champ and Mac proved their worth at other schools and Mullen was trending downward and complicit with the 21 debacle.
