Results
The results have yet to show up on the field for third-year Florida coach Billy Napier. But exiting spring practice, the waters around him are calmer than they have been at any point since he replaced Dan Mullen following the 2021 season.
“We’re two years in, and this is the first offseason where we feel like we’re not solving a major problem or building out a system, and it’s been great,” Napier told Josh Pate of 247Sports as part of the Pate State Speaker Series. “I think we’ve been able to focus on our time on the things that really matter.”
The Gators now feel at home in their $85 million Heavener Football Training Center, their NIL program has been streamlined, and Napier has tweaked his staff following an 11-14 start to his tenure. Externally, though, major questions remain. A five-game losing streak to cap the 2023 season sent Napier’s stock spiraling, and now he now enters a critical campaign marked by one of the nation’s toughest schedules.
But Napier described the 2024 Gators as the “best group of players we’ve had … we’ve completely rebuilt the player experience at the University of Florida.”
How that will translate to the field come August 31 when the Gators host Miami in a seismic season opener is to be determined, but Napier shared some insights with Pate that shed light on where Florida stands.
QB Graham Mertz is catalyst
Skepticism over Florida’s acquisition of Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz last offseason was warranted. The veteran signal-caller threw 21 interceptions over the 2021 and 2022 seasons while the Badgers struggled to generate explosive passing plays. He turned out to be a great fit in Napier’s system, however, throwing for 2,903 yards with 20 touchdowns and just three interceptions in 2023.
Now, he is back to use his sixth and final season of eligibility and is expected to be one of the SEC’s top passers.
“It’s the No. 1 thing when you talk about Florida football … Graham Mertz coming back to play another year of football,” Napier said. “We get a player who I think has a renewed confidence. He starts this offseason as the leader of the team. Completely different place than he was in when he arrived here last year.”
Napier has come under fire for ultimately not relinquishing play-calling duties and plans on calling the shots again in 2024. In an era when many head coaches with coordinator backgrounds have relinquished those…
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