Is the 2023 Roster Still Better than What Billy Inherited?

I don’t think the problem was the first year result

Problem is:

1. team didn’t get better
2. Schematically not great
3. Analytically poor
4. Recruiting weak compared to what a good bump class should be

So the likelihood of us taking the 2nd year jump of Meyer, Saban, and Kirby is very low. Heck even sneaking into a NY6 is low. Most people are thinking a similar year as last.

Of course we have to let it play out. If we make the jump then all is well. If we don’t then his seat gets warm

All we can do is wait at this point

 

Ok- again, what game did we not play as hard as could have outside the bowl game?
Vanderbilt? Maybe, but IMO we took them lightly, as many Gator teams do. We also had some really bad luck that game.

But outside of that I didn't see a lack of effort.

 

All of those that were perceived to have “quit”, had one common denominator between them …they were recruited by the same guy.

 

I think you are talking about the portal guys. Right- that was ridiculous that they quit before season ending.
I'm not sure that is on CBN. Maybe if he was a better coach they would have stuck it out? I don't think so, but I guess someone could say that.

But the poster, I'm pretty sure, was talking about the team on the field not playing hard during the games.
I wanted to know what game.

 

Pretty sure the implication was Mullen-recruited dudes.

Which, again, is a little too neat and tidy because as you mention, it wasn't just those guys. The implication that Mullen was recruiting bad apples or whatever is probably the same new coach insulation we tend to do as fans.

I'll be honest: Napier didn't kill it in year one. I expected 6-6 up to 8-4 regular season, so while he was within the range I didn't walk away with a lot of warm and fuzzies. But like I said, I really like him. He seems like a good guy who wants to do this the right way. I just don't know if the current college football world can accommodate that approach anymore.

 

Of course. I don't expect much more than 6-6 next year. It's more about how we win and lose - and most importantly recruit - in year 2.

But I'll say this - if Napier walked into a program like 2005 Florida I think he would have done fairly well. That team was stacked

 

Matthanuf06, you’re the man!! That’s all I’m trying to say, I’m just not nearly as good as saying it as you are. I’ll stop now but I will check back in on this next year and hopefully you guys can all tell me what an idiot I am.

 

Ok - again not taking a side in this argument.

 

It's not an argument, it's a question.
Not all questions are arguments.

He asserted something pretty serious- the team was quitting during the games.
Or at least not playing hard.
I wanted to know what game so I could go back and watch.

 

So this is my issue, and the reason I am being such a pain about it is that people are not reading what others say. Whether or not I agree with him, he is NOT saying that the team quit DURING games. He is claiming that the team quit on the SEASON. That means that it wasn't one game but that effort waned over the SEASON not during any game. So what you are asserting he is saying is not what he is saying. So you would have to watch all of the games not just one and compare the season.

Also, I apologize for my term of argument. I was using it in a debate sense (such as opening arguments in a court case, not as in quarrelling).

 

Like no other coaches had any kind of challenges like that. Brian Kelly at LSU probably just walked into a perfectly working machine. All those 5-stars, none of them were toxic, I guess. Gee, Billy has to the the unluckiest dude on the planet. Should have got him a horseshoe for Christmas.

 

All those 5*s

 

OK well that's not accurate either (his assertion). To end the season beat a&m on the road, beat the crap out of usc (somehow), while we shouldn't lose to vandy we were down 16 at one point and had the ball on their side of field trying to tie as the game ended, lost to fsu were down 14 before we tied it up and were down at their 26 trying to tie it up when the game ended.

So I would easily say that (bowl game aside) no the team didnt quit on the season and he's wrong

 

I agree with you. I think the team was inconsistent all season with many ups and downs for many reasons. I think you can look at USF, UK, Vandy as games throughout the entire season that we did not play up to what we probably could have. Hopefully as folks learn the system and getting correct personnel (I am not sold on the fact that it was talent level, especially against those three teams) some of the inconsistencies will be eliminated. Only time will tell.

Darn it, you tricked me into taking a side.

 

We lost Kelby Collins? Source?

 

I think we undersell Meyer here. He turned around every program quickly. Clearly he could motivate, develop, connect, hire, etc. He wasn’t a 1 season wonder

He also left Champ the best recruiting class of all time

 

I didn't see any quit, but did see discipline issues that were endemic in 2021 crop up again at most inopportune times in the last two regular season games.

 

Oh I'm not underselling him. I think he's the best college football head coach (up until the moment he implodes)

I would argue that the best recruiting class we had was either 2003 or 2006, most of which were out of the program by the time Muschamp arrived.

My point was that 2005 was stacked and most coaches could have done at least ok. Not that any coach could have walked into that and been Urban Meyer.

 

TY. I had to stop. I had a post that said something along the same lines though but decided to hold.

IMO- people are just pissed about the last 3 games.
If we had beaten FSU, everything would be sunshine and roses.

 

Agree on both counts.
And we do a disservice to CBN when we expect him to be Meyer. He clearly is not.

Hopefully he will be more like Dabo. IMO this is his model. (Whether he gets there or not is unknown.)