Counting to 11 is one goal for embattled Florida coach Billy Napier. A winning season is another

Published Aug. 20, 2024 1:38 p.m. ET

Associated Press

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Billy Napier jokes about it now. The Florida coach routinely makes light of his team’s inability to consistently get 11 men on the field.

When asked about potential position battles in training camp last week, Napier quipped: “The reality is you only get to put 11 out there at once. We’re going to get 11 every play this year.”

The line drew cackles from the room. It was no laughing matter in 2023.

The Gators looked so disorganized at times last year — mostly on special teams and reaching a low point during a home loss to Arkansas — that Napier and his job status became popular punchlines.

Napier initially pushed back on questions regarding simple math. But he’s embraced it as a priority in 2024, and everyone realizes that Florida’s basic operations need to improve for Napier to regain the fanbase’s trust and guarantee himself a fourth season in Gainesville.

Napier is 11-14 through two years, becoming the first Gators coach since Raymond Wolf in 1946-47 with back-to-back losing seasons.

“Every year you’ve got a set of problems, whether you lack momentum or you have momentum, whether you’ve had a great offseason and you’re coming off of a fantastic year, or maybe you struggled and didn’t quite perform the way you’d like,” Napier said. “You’ve got to view each team as its own entity, and you’ve got to try and be objective about how you make decisions.”

Napier responded to last year’s 5-7 campaign, which included five straight losses and countless organizational issues, by layering nearly every aspect of his program. He hired a new defensive coordinator (Ron Roberts), a new special teams coordinator (Joe Houston), a new strength and conditioning coach (Tyler Miles) and even replaced the team nutritionist. He promoted Russ Callaway to co-offensive coordinator, although Napier is maintaining his play-calling role.

The Gators are counting on immediate results, even though BetMGM oddsmakers placed their over/under win total at 4 ½ and Southeastern Conference media members picked them to finish 12th in the 16-team league.

“That’s personal, man,” defensive lineman Tyreak Sapp said. “I feel like everybody that had something to say, everybody that (predicted) our failure and had a doubt in their mind about us ... they are going to have live with that real soon.

“May God have mercy on a lot of teams’ souls, because I won’t. I promise you I won’t.”

Mertz returns

Napier calls quarterback Graham Mertz’s decision to stay in college “a huge deal” for the program. The former Wisconsin transfer completed nearly 73% of his passes last season for 2,903 yards, with 20 touchdowns and three interceptions. He missed the season finale against Florida State with a broken collarbone but now he's back for a second season with Napier.

The Gators expect Mertz to have better protection in front of him and more playmakers, including transfer receivers Chimere Dike and Elijhah Badger.

Defensive overhaul

Defense was the biggest issue in 2023, with the Gators allowing more than 38 points a game over the second half of the season. Napier fired two assistants and essentially demoted 30-year-old coordinator Austin Armstrong.

He also turned to the transfer portal for help, signing five potential starters on that side of the ball: defensive tackle Joey Slackman (Penn), linebacker Grayson Howard (South Carolina), defensive back DJ Douglas (Tulane), safety Asa Turner (Washington) and pass rusher George Gumbs Jr. (Northern Illinois).

Game-changer?

To help curb special teams miscues, Houston will use a “launch pad” on the sideline. The mat has circles for each special teams player to stand in, improving the chances of getting exactly 11 on the field.

“It’s good to get organized in that scenario,” kicker Trey Smack said.

The gauntlet

The most daunting schedule in school history awaits, hardly ideal considering Napier is likely coaching for his job. The gauntlet begins against No. 19 Miami in the Swamp on Aug. 31 and includes a half-dozen more teams ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 college football poll. Three of those games are on the road (Tennessee, Texas, Florida State) in addition to the annual neutral side showdown with No. 1 Georgia in Jacksonville.

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