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Thoughts on this Florida team moving onto 2024......

The Gators are hoping new DB's coach Harris' experience at the collegiate and professional levels will allow him to shore up a Florida secondary which struggled throughout the 2023 season.

Florida, which gave up more explosive plays through the air than almost every FBS program, ranked No. 125 nationally in passing yards allowed per attempt against FBS teams (8.5) and No. 87 in passing yards allowed per game (240.9).

247sports.com

Will Harris announced as secondary coach

The Gators are expected to announce Harris' hiring shortly after his arrival
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I am obviously in the minority, but I want to give Napier time. Coaches that come in and do well right away tend to have followed coaches who could recruit but not coach. Napier followed a guy who could coach but not recruit. The rebuild needed was and is massive and not going to happen in a couple of years. To dump him now or even next year is to have had him here long enough to bring in some young talent the next guy can ride to some wins, so we can all say "what an upgrade" until Napier's guys are gone and it goes south again. Let's be patient like Clemson was and see what happens. If nothing else we will show that we are willing to give a guy a fair chance so new guys will be more confident in making us their choice.
 
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LizardGrad89 said:
I am obviously in the minority, but I want to give Napier time. Coaches that come in and do well right away tend to have followed coaches who could recruit but not coach. Napier followed a guy who could coach but not recruit. The rebuild needed was and is massive and not going to happen in a couple of years. To dump him now or even next year is to have had him here long enough to bring in some young talent the next guy can ride to some wins, so we can all say "what an upgrade" until Napier's guys are gone and it goes south again. Let's be patient like Clemson was and see what happens. If nothing else we will show that we are willing to give a guy a fair chance so new guys will be more confident in making us their choice.
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Completely agree with this. I for one am tired of starting over every three or four years.
 
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I hope that Billy is here for his full 7 years, win or lose.
It's time to suffer the consequences of rampant stupidity, instead of making up more excuses and just throwing more money at the problems they created.

And that goes for 2020-24 on a national level, so maybe they finally learn a much needed lesson in BAD choices using feelings while ignoring reality....

It's not like college football has any true value in the real world, unlike corruption in politics and the bureaucratic weaponized lawlessness that's destroying America....

IT'S LONG PAST TIME TO WTF-UP.... (on many levels)
 
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LizardGrad89 said:
I am obviously in the minority, but I want to give Napier time. Coaches that come in and do well right away tend to have followed coaches who could recruit but not coach. Napier followed a guy who could coach but not recruit. The rebuild needed was and is massive and not going to happen in a couple of years. To dump him now or even next year is to have had him here long enough to bring in some young talent the next guy can ride to some wins, so we can all say "what an upgrade" until Napier's guys are gone and it goes south again. Let's be patient like Clemson was and see what happens. If nothing else we will show that we are willing to give a guy a fair chance so new guys will be more confident in making us their choice.
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Screw that as he is losing to teams with lesser talent. If he can't get his act together some in year 3 it just shows he is not cut out for a big time SEC coaching spot. 5 losses in 2024 pre @ FSU game he has to be fired.
 
UF has closed a recruiting cycle ranked No. 9 three times since, in 2014, 2019 & 2020.

CBN - "Ultimately for me, I think it's important that we get it right in the front end. We want players that have conviction about being here, that believe in the experience." (however, 1/2 of his 2022 class has already departed)
 
Transfer portal is a big problem for Napier. He’s a good recruiter but back to back losing seasons at UF is tough to sell to incoming recruits and to your own guys. And it keeps getting tougher because it becomes more likely that he’s going to get fired. Makes it harder to get/keep a good staff too. And when he finally does get canned, everyone he recruited can just leave. It’s a tough spot we’re in.

Like we’re trying to climb out of back to back losing seasons and is our roster next year even going to be as good as last year? I have my doubts.
 
bradleygator said:
Transfer portal is a big problem for Napier. He’s a good recruiter but back to back losing seasons at UF is tough to sell to incoming recruits and to your own guys. And it keeps getting tougher because it becomes more likely that he’s going to get fired. Makes it harder to get/keep a good staff too. And when he finally does get canned, everyone he recruited can just leave. It’s a tough spot we’re in.

Like we’re trying to climb out of back to back losing seasons and is our roster next year even going to be as good as last year? I have my doubts.
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He is gone I think if he doesn't do better in the portal this time.
 
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bradleygator said:
Transfer portal is a big problem for Napier. He’s a good recruiter but back to back losing seasons at UF is tough to sell to incoming recruits and to your own guys. And it keeps getting tougher because it becomes more likely that he’s going to get fired. Makes it harder to get/keep a good staff too. And when he finally does get canned, everyone he recruited can just leave. It’s a tough spot we’re in.

Like we’re trying to climb out of back to back losing seasons and is our roster next year even going to be as good as last year? I have my doubts.
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Quote from Amaris Williams after visiting Auburn.

“Knowing that they [Auburn] have a sustainable staff when it comes to the next 3-5 years is really good for me.”
 
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Michi_Gator said:
Quote from Amaris Williams after visiting Auburn.

“Knowing that they [Auburn] have a sustainable staff when it comes to the next 3-5 years is really good for me.”
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Getting worried about our situation big time. The boosters better get some good lineman or it might be pretty ugly again.
 
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U-GLEEEEE mo matter what it seems to me.

The down hill slide began with transfer Miller instead of Brown, then amplified with Mertz instead of Brown and getting ready for a Spread Option Offense with Lagway coming. I could say that I saw this coming and said so, but whatever..... 😏
 
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instaGATOR said:
U-GLEEEEE mo matter what it seems to me.

The down hill slide began with transfer Miller instead of Brown, then amplified with Mertz instead of Brown and getting ready for a Spread Option Offense with Lagway coming. I could say that I saw this coming and said so, but whatever..... 😏
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You're not serious, right? We all saw very clearly that Brown was not the answer. Hence why he's at a mid major now. If he were our starter we most likely win 2 games this season vs being about 6 plays away from 8-4. Besides Napier doesn't run a spread option. Lagway is a dual threat, but he is a throw first kid.
 
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Can't say that about Brown playing one game. My guess is when he had guys coming right at him not slowed at all it was about like Mertz in the Georgia game on those 11 plays. I don't think Brown will be a real good QB but I don't think Mertz is some good talent either. Napier owns the teams situation next year though being year 3 and especially with a portal like it is now. He better not do like last season and let too many key players get taken while he has his army taking forever to vet them.
 
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Gator Fever said:
Can't say that about Brown playing one game. My guess is when he had guys coming right at him not slowed at all it was about like Mertz in the Georgia game on those 11 plays. I don't think Brown will be a real good QB but I don't think Mertz is some good talent either. Napier owns the teams situation next year though being year 3 and especially with a portal like it is now. He better not do like last season and let too many key players get taken while he has his army taking forever to vet them.
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Mertz is not some great player, but he was our best player on offense this year. The last 6 games Mertz started we averaged around 33 points. You should win most of the time with that.
 
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Gator Fever said:
Can't say that about Brown playing one game. My guess is when he had guys coming right at him not slowed at all it was about like Mertz in the Georgia game on those 11 plays. I don't think Brown will be a real good QB but I don't think Mertz is some good talent either. Napier owns the teams situation next year though being year 3 and especially with a portal like it is now. He better not do like last season and let too many key players get taken while he has his army taking forever to vet them.
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So we won't see Napier bring in an OC. Pitt just hired Kerwin Bell's son, Kade, as their OC.
 
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Countygator1 said:
Mertz is not some great player, but he was our best player on offense this year. The last 6 games Mertz started we averaged around 33 points. You should win most of the time with that.
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lol.. He isn't in the ballpark of Pearsall or ETN at his position. He literally had one game he helped us get the win late but in many games mostly just completed passes near the line of scrimmage or behind it. Never saw mess like that over a whole season on 3rd and 4th down where most of the plays are thrown short like that to wide open guys because the defense is giving you that to prevent a first down. I know a lot of its on Napier but still.
 
Gator Fever said:
lol.. He isn't in the ballpark of Pearsall or ETN at his position. He literally had one game he helped us get the win late but in many games mostly just completed passes near the line of scrimmage or behind it. Never saw mess like that over a whole season on 3rd and 4th down where most of the plays are thrown short like that to wide open guys because the defense is giving you that to prevent a first down. I know a lot of its on Napier but still.
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Didn't say he was, but he was clearly the MVP on this Gator team. We could win without Pearsall and ETN, but we could not win without Mertz and to argue otherwise is either being silly or stupid. Sure, Pearsall and ETN are better players, I even said Mertz is not some great player, but without him we win maybe 2 games.
 
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Countygator1 said:
Didn't say he was, but he was clearly the MVP on this Gator team. We could win without Pearsall and ETN, but we could not win without Mertz and to argue otherwise is either being silly or stupid. Sure, Pearsall and ETN are better players, I even said Mertz is not some great player, but without him we win maybe 2 games.
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I really don’t understand why anyone is bad mouthing Mertz. He was better than anyone on this board could have expected by a factor of 10. If I was listing the problems with the Gators program, I’d be going for a while before I got to Mertz.
 
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Countygator1 said:
Didn't say he was, but he was clearly the MVP on this Gator team. We could win without Pearsall and ETN, but we could not win without Mertz and to argue otherwise is either being silly or stupid. Sure, Pearsall and ETN are better players, I even said Mertz is not some great player, but without him we win maybe 2 games.
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The only game we don't win without Mertz over the backup imo would have been SC. I guess you could argue Brown being in there without experience could maybe have affected the Tenn outcome.
 
Congrats on Mertz, with Billy's schematic advantage offense, leading the Gators to a marvelous 5-6 season. Player and Coach of the Year for both of them.... 🙄

It's not surprising to me that Billy could leave Brown mostly ignored and on the bench for 2 years, and then when he did play him after 1 week to prepare, he used almost nothing of Brown's QB-dt skill set vs FSUcks.

The game plan and the play calling was what lost that game, not Brown's play..... What Billy did was waste Brown's 'high potential' for 2 years, and now he's gone. Billy should officially apologize to him for flipping him as a recruit, to then not develop or use him. Sad imo....
=====

Hey fever, how about this:
I said earlier in the season that I believed that Wilson was the Gator's most talented WR, just not the most experienced (RP) as a tFr. Seems that I could have been correct about that...

The former four-star prospect from Tampa (Fla.) Gaither High finished the year with 61 catches for 538 yards and six touchdowns, which was good for second on the team behind senior Ricky Pearsall in catches and yards and first on the team in receiving touchdowns. Wilson also notably did not drop a single pass throughout the season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Wilson led the Gators in receptions per game (6.1) and became the first Florida true freshman to eclipse 500 receiving yards since Antonio Callaway accomplished the feat in 2015. Wilson's six receiving touchdowns were the most by an SEC freshman, regardless of position, in 2023. He set the Florida freshman record with 11 receptions in a contest against then-No. 1 Georgia.

https://247sports.com/college/flori...-wilson-all-american-gators-napier-222930410/
 
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bradleygator said:
I really don’t understand why anyone is bad mouthing Mertz. He was better than anyone on this board could have expected by a factor of 10. If I was listing the problems with the Gators program, I’d be going for a while before I got to Mertz.
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Because that would require admitting they were wrong. Not going to happen in this lifetime.
 
instaGATOR said:
It's good to see that you will admit to claiming that you're never wrong...
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Whoa, easy...again not referring to you. Someone else on this board claimed Brown to be the next coming, but not you. Bama, UGA, Ohio State, Texas and Clemson were battling hard to get Brown signed from the portal, but Charlotte beat them out!
 
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Nicktheslick said:
The only game we lose if the defense hadn’t crapped the bed was UGA and maybe Utah early on.
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Don't buy that either. I can show you many better teams where that jumped around some game. Someone like Dart at Ole Miss and we have a winning record. The better QBs pull you through usually in games. you can compete. Mertz isn't that bad but the nonsense Napier had him doing may give you hardly any picks and a high completion % but it's not going to beat many good teams. Curious how many times we threw the ball short of the chains on 3rd and 4th down this season. I never remember anything like it.
 
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In 2022 we had, based on the NFL draft, an elite duel threat QB and still lost 7 games. Mertz, to me, exceeded expectations and played very well considering the line in front of him and the way our play-caller ran the offense. Even with our deficiencies, the offense averaged over 30 ppg the last 1/2 of the season, but the defense collapsed into being one of the very worst in D1. And arguably our best player on defense as well as one of our best offensive players (both Top 10 in the transfer portal rankings) are leaving. We've already lost 3 commits from the new class, still don't have a d-line coach and apparently aren't going to hire an OC or a special teams coordinator. And with the 2024 schedule being one of the toughest in the country, the future looks very dim to me. Would love to be wrong, but that's how I see it.
 
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ocalaman said:
In 2022 we had, based on the NFL draft, an elite duel threat QB and still lost 7 games. Mertz, to me, exceeded expectations and played very well considering the line in front of him and the way our play-caller ran the offense. Even with our deficiencies, the offense averaged over 30 ppg the last 1/2 of the season, but the defense collapsed into being one of the very worst in D1. And arguably our best player on defense as well as one of our best offensive players (both Top 10 in the transfer portal rankings) are leaving. We've already lost 3 commits from the new class, still don't have a d-line coach and apparently aren't going to hire an OC or a special teams coordinator. And with the 2024 schedule being one of the toughest in the country, the future looks very dim to me. Would love to be wrong, but that's how I see it.
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The only bright spot heading into 2024 is Mertz. Unless we pull off some portal magic, both our lines are going to be bad...again.
 
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