The Gators hold a 4-2 record at the halfway point of the 2022 season. Gator Country provides you with a Florida football mailbag, answering all your Gators questions.
Ufgator84: Any rumors/whispers that Toney will ditch the 3-3-5 for a defensive front that works better against the run?
Nick M: No, Toney isn’t going to switch his defensive scheme. Toney had success with this scheme at ULL and the players in Gainesville have bought into it.
Ncargat1: Is there any expectation that we might see the Gators offense start trying to push the tempo more than 1 or 2 awkward plays per game? Seems like if the offensive line is having the upper hand more often than not it would help the offense, kind of like what Kiffen does with tempo but heavy dose or running at Ole Miss?
Nick M: You won’t see much up-tempo this season. The Gators have had a turnover issue through the first six weeks of the season; the last thing Napier wants is a chance for that to get worse with poor communication. During Wednesday’s presser Napier said they aren’t a team that’s going to try and run 100 plays in a game.
MrB-Gator: How is QB Miller doing? Was he ahead of Kitna before his injury? Also…do you think AR will leave after this year?
Nick M: Jack Miller was the clear-cut number two QB before injury. Napier referred to Richardson and Miller as the two QBs capable of winning. He said Kitna was working his way to becoming one. Very hard to tell where he stands now without being in practice. Napier says he’s progressed nicely and is beginning to practice. Jalen Kitna will be this teams QB2 for the LSU game as Miller hasn’t had many reps in practice. Miller will be available for an emergency situation.
My personal opinion is that Richardson stays another year. I don’t think he’s put enough on tape for NFL teams to consider drafting him in the early rounds.
GatorNorth: This is about Year 5 of the Gator defense being unable to get off the field. Is the problem scheme, personnel, lack of preparation or something else?
Nick M: It’s a personnel issue. I’ve seen really good things on film from Patrick Toney for the most part; I’m seeing poor execution from the defense. There’s been a few questionable play calls on defense and offense but Napier and his staff have admitted to that.
Bigmike64: How do the recruits feel about the season so far and coaching? has anything change in the way they see this coaching staff positive or negative?
My guess is they have to see we need help at multiple positions so I would think that is a positive.
Nick M: I don’t believe we will see a drastic change or reaction in recruiting regardless of how much Florida loses. The recruits really like this staff, specifically Sean Spencer and Corey Raymond. I think players seeing how much early playing time they could potentially get is a huge benefit.
Kurt_Borglum: Is it time for Trey Smack to smack some treys (see what I did there?)
Nick M: I think you’ll see Adam Mihalek kick for the rest of the year. Napier said during Wednesday’s presser that Mihalek is the team’s best place kicker. It will be interesting to see if Napier plans on using Smack on kickoffs for the remainder of the year and burning his redshirt.
Jcmiller910: Nick, what will be the key areas of improvement that we will need to see for the team to make significant strides in the 2nd half of the season? What do you think has been the biggest improvement from game 1 to now, and what has been the biggest disappointment from game 1 to now? Lastly, name a player that you think that will become a contributor the last 6 games that has played sparingly throughout the 1st 6 games? Thanks and Go Gators!!
Nick M: The improvement needs to come from the defensive side of the ball if we want to see significant strides from the Gators. It’s going to be nearly impossible to see significant improvement without the defense playing better. Secondly, the offense needs to take care of the football. If you are only going to get so many chances, you need to make them count.
The biggest improvement for me is penalties. Through the first three weeks I thought we might see a fairly undisciplined football team. However, this Gators team has taken huge strides in that department. The last few weeks has been really clean football. I think the biggest disappointment for me is the passing attack. The entire nation was talking about Anthony Richardson as a Heisman candidate and a first-round draft pick after week one. Last week Richardson threw for less than 70 yards. We’ve all seen that Richardson can do it; we just need to see it more consistently.
If you count Miguel Mitchell as playing sparingly, I’ll choose him. I really like what I’ve seen from him this year in limited action and think the Gators could use him at safety.
OklahomaGator: With the total turnover in the coaching staff, outside of Napier, who do you see has home run hires?
Nick M: Corey Raymond was a homerun hire. The players absolutely love him and he can really recruit. I’m a big fan of Sean Spencer, Matt Hocke, and Patrick Toney. It’s really hard not to mention Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton with the improvement we’ve seen from this offensive line.
Unclenunzio: How much staff change do you see for 2023?
Nick M: I don’t see that many staff changes coming after year one. You never know what’s going to happen, but I don’t foresee a whole lot of movement after this season.
Johnagator: Has our defense figured out how to stop the play LSU used umpteen times against us last year? Simple off tackle run.
Nick M: I can’t tell you with 100 percent certainty that the Gators are going to stop the counter run every single time. However, we will see the players in the right position to make the play.
Dhainer24: Assuming Richardson leaves (don’t think he should, but NFL dollars are hard to pass up)…Do you think Kitna or Miller have the ability to lead an above average SEC offense? Who do you think is the next starting QB…Miller, Kitna, transfer?
Nick M: I agree that if Richardson is getting offered NFL money he’s likely going to leave. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the Gators next starting QB will be a transfer. I think Napier is going to go find one and have him compete with Kitna and Miller.
TheGator: Can we still make the playoffs?
Nick M: There’s never been a two-loss team that’s made the playoffs, so I’d lean towards no. It’s so early in the season so the mathematical answer is yes, but that would require the Gators to win every game on their schedule, somehow sneak into the SEC championship game, win the SEC championship, and get help from non-conference teams.
90Gator: at the halfway point, the kicking game is not acceptable. will napier make a change?
Nick M: I don’t see a change coming this season. We aren’t in practice and can’t see the hundreds of kicks those two do on a daily basis. Napier says Adam Mihalek is the team’s best place kicker, so I don’t see him making a switch, at least not right now.
FloridaGatorMan: Do you think Richardson is a legit NFL prospect at the end of this season? Yes, the NFL drafts on measurables, but what he’s shown this season is a very inaccurate QB that’s less than willing to pull the ball down and run.
Nick M: I think that Richardson can get drafted simply because of his measurables. How high he’s drafted depends on this 2nd half of the season he puts together. At this point, I can’t see him going anywhere near the first round with what he has on tape. He’s yet to prove he can be consistently accurate with the football. However, he has all the tools in the bag and can make every throw.