It’s not like the Gator defense - ranked eighth or worse in the SEC the past three years, and last in 2022 in third-down stops - has anybody coaching them who’s irreplaceable.īesides Mertz, UF is hoping transfers Cam’Ron Jackson (Memphis) at defensive tackle and linebacker Teradja Mitchell (Ohio State) can fortify a unit in desperate need of a major upgrade. Having to replace three assistant coaches who left for greener NFL pastures, including defensive coordinator Patrick Toney, is mildly concerning, but not the three-alarm fire some UF skeptics are making it out to be. Highly-regarded Willis High (Tx.) 2024 QB recruit DJ Lagway, a dual threat who talks openly about his desire to be the next Tim Tebow, gives UF fans some reason for optimism.įor now, Lagway’s commitment certainly eases some pain from the whole Jaden Rashada NIL fiasco, but Napier has a lot more on his to-do list before he can realistically put the Gators on a consistent SEC contender path. The quarterback situation for 2023, with Wisconsin one-year transfer rental Graham Mertz considered the top option, appears lukewarm at best. Plus, Tennessee appears to be surging and incoming brands Texas and Oklahoma add to the cutthroat competition in recruiting. Napier looks and sounds the part of a coach possibly being the long-term answer, but the gap between the Gators and programs like Georgia and Alabama isn’t something he’s likely to close significantly any time soon. It’s hard to know at this point whether to look at the glass as half-full or half-empty for the future of Gator football. That’s not what athletic director Scott Stricklin, whose own job security will likely become an issue if Napier and Golden don’t pan out, expects from UF’s highest profile sports. But until Napier and Golden can acquire more talent and establish a winning culture, the reality is the Gators are stuck being average for the moment. Nobody accustomed to seeing Florida hoist trophies, mostly in non-revenue sports, wants football and men’s basketball to be second-tier SEC programs. With the Gators playing in the rugged Southeastern Conference, where the arrival of Texas and Oklahoma in 2024 only makes winning any championship or football playoff access even harder, it might be time for UF fans to do the unthinkable and dial down expectations just a bit. 500 will always be viewed as a borderline disaster.īoth programs have had temporary dips, but consecutive 6-7 football seasons under two different coaches and now a basketball season heading in the wrong direction - though losing Colin Castleton to a hand injury didn’t help matters - has the fan base trying to gauge how long it must wait on a turnaround. Not that expectations were terribly high for the debut seasons of Napier and Golden, but a 6-7 record in football and 14-15 in basketball (going into Tuesday’s game at Georgia) puts Florida’s biggest revenue sports in danger of having a losing season simultaneously for the first time since 1979-80.įor programs with a combined five national championships - UF is the only Division I school in the country with multiple national titles in both sports - hanging around.
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