After observing Florida’s spring practices and the Orange and Blue game, Gator Country opened up a thread for their members to ask questions relating to Florida’s football program.
Gator Country provides part one our Florida football mailbag.
Ufgator84: Who will the Gators get in the portal to play QB?
NM: It’s unclear who the Gators will target in the transfer portal, but we can expect at least one addition to the quarterback room this summer.
This was Billy Napier’s response to a recent question on adding a QB through the portal.
“Yeah, I think that process is underway to some degree,” Napier said. “I think we’ll know more pretty soon. That’s what I would say in that regard. Yes, we anticipate adding a player to our team at that position.”
The spring transfer window opened on April 15th and will last for 15 days until the end of the month.
TheGator: When will we hire an OC?
NM: Florida’s offensive coordinator is Rob Sale, and the play caller is Head Coach, Billy Napier.
Neither will give up their position anytime soon.
Blackbird68: Please tell me how we get out of this hole, I just can’t see a light at the end of the tunnel and the program seems to merely be circling the drain.
NM: If I knew the answer to this, I would be in contract negotiations with Scott Stricklin.
There’s obviously a ton that I could point out, but the simple answer is to keep recruiting. Dan Mullen left Florida in a bad place with regard to recruiting and overall talent level.
Andrew and I preached patience, specifically with the defense, when Napier started at Florida. This was never going to be a quick turnaround.
MrB-Gator: Can Mertz be the game manager we need this year? He seems like a smart guy and knows the offense.
And has the skills to be good.
NM: When I think of the term “game manager”, I think of a QB that can make the easy throws and easy reads while limiting turnovers. One of the stats that jumped out to me when diving into the numbers was how much better Graham Mertz was at short passes compared to Anthony Richardson.
Grahm Mertz’s PFF grade on passes between 0-9 yards: 54.5
Anthony Richardson’s PFF grade on passes between 0-9 yards: 33.8.
Ultimately, I think Graham Mertz’ success in this offense will come down to how well he can take care of the football, which he hasn’t done a great job of in his collegiate career. Mertz has the arm talent and the work ethic, but his consistency has been his downfall.
Gator_nica: What position (Offense and Defense) were you mostly concerned about heading into Spring, that you feel much better now? Likewise, which position did you feel great, and now have some doubts?
NM: I was fairly concerned about the linebacker room entering spring football, but the additions of Duece Spurlock, Mannie Nunnery, and Teradja Mitchell have significantly improved the depth in the unit. Nunnery has been a pleasant surprise in my opinion, he’ll play a huge role this season.
I was feeling great about the offensive line, and now I’m left slightly concerned. This isn’t due to a developmental issue, but more so an injury issue. With the injury status of Kam Waites and Micah Mazzccua still very much in the air, I’m concerned about the depth going into fall camp.
Gator_nica: What is your honest opinion on the QB situation? Can we win 8 or 9 games with the current QB room?
NM: I think 8 wins in the max with the current QB situation, I do not see Florida winning any more than that. Seven wins is more realistic with what the Gators have right now.
Mertz was a good and necessary addition to the team; however, it wasn’t a home run either. Florida tried to add another high-level transfer QB, but things didn’t swing their way.
With only three scholarship QBs on the roster, Florida will add another this offseason. It’s unclear whether that will be a starting caliber QB or not.
Johnagator: Is there a time span when one can enter the portal? Do you think we lose many more?
NM: The transfer portal just opened on Saturday, April 15th and is scheduled to close again on Sunday, April 30th.
I think it’s safe to expect Florida will lose a few players, but I don’t think it will be nearly as many as in years past. It’s already been reported that OL David Conner is expected to hit the portal.
(This was a repeated question)
jcmiller910: Do you think Napier should give up the play calling and QB coaching duties?
NM: Play calling was not the issue with Florida’s team last year. It was far from perfect, and Napier will be the first to admit that. I understand thinking Florida should have had a better offense with a top five pick in the NFL draft, but did you really watch Anthony Richardson’s flaws throughout the season and blame them on Billy Napier? Richardson’s inability to consistently hit a slant pass really took a lot out of the playbook in 2023. Ricky Pearsall had to essentially learn a different route tree to compliment Richardson’s strengths.
I would have liked to see more designed runs, but I think something more was going on behind the scenes in that regard.
Florida could absolutely hire a better play caller, but I don’t think Napier’s one year stint as Florida’s play caller calls for him giving up the job.
jcmiller910: When we go to a 4 wide set why do we always use a tight end in the slot? We have way too many weapons to continue to do this.
NM: Billy Napier likes to use two tight end sets, one that’s a little bit bigger and is utilized more for blocking, and one that has the size and speed to create mismatches.
It’s an incredibly dangerous strategy when you have the athletes to make it work, see Kyle Pitts for an example. If you can find a tight end that has great speed and size, there’s not going to be many players if any that can cover him; you want that player in the slot.
I’m hoping Arlis Boardingham can step into that role this season as he ran an impressive 10.9 second 100-meter dash and marked a 23.10 on the long jump.