Gator Country provides part two of our post-spring Florida football mailbag.
jcmiller910: When will we stop running a receiver in motion all the way behind the QB and have them run out in the flat as the ball is hiked? This is a terrible philosophy and it literally is like us playing 10 on 11. It’s one less guy the defense has to cover as they are almost 7 yards behind the los.
NM: One of the reasons Florida does this is to create a motion checkdown for the QB on a pass play. Florida does this on a run play to take one defender out of the picture, clearing up more room for the running backs. Opposing defense still have to send a man after the receiver in motion, and if they don’t, Florida will pick up on that and use it to their advantage.
jcmiller910: What do you see as the biggest area of improvement that needs to be made between now and fall camp.
NM: Florida needs to have better QB play than what I saw in spring if they are going to be successful in 2023. Outside of that, Florida really needs to find some production from their TE unit. Napier loves having two tight ends on the field at the same time, which doesn’t bode well for a team that lacks high quality tight ends. Lastly, the Gators must add a veteran safety this summer. That room is dangerously thin and lacks experience.
jcmiller910: If we continue to get sup-par QB play, will we see a bunch of wildcat? Will we see more of both Ettiene and Johnson on the field at the same time?
NM: I have, and probably always will be against the idea of running wildcat. In my opinion, it completely takes away the threat of throwing the football, allowing everyone on the defense to know what you are doing. It can work in some short yardage situations, especially with a running back like Montrell Johnson or Trevor Etienne, but I really hope it doesn’t come to that.
I’m not sure if we will see Etienne and Johnson on the field at the same time. It seems to me like the staff has placed an emphasis on throwing to the RBs more, which I hope we see plenty of in 2023.
jcmiller910: In your opinion did we see bad offense or great defense in the spring game? The defense was awful last year and there’s no way they don’t improve this year. How much better do you think the defense will be.
NM: As I’ve said many times, the reality of the spring game is that Florida’s offense is not nearly that bad and Florida’s defense is not nearly that good. The game was designed to not show much offensively and for the defense to make a lot of noise. With that being said, it was still great to see Florida’s defense create pressure and win many of their one-on-one matchups. I do think the Gators’ defense will see significant improvement this season, I’m just not sure we ever see nine sacks in a game.
jcmiller910: Who are the guys to watch that you think will have a breakout season this coming Fall?
NM: I’m going with sophomore cornerback Devin Moore. He’s finally starting to get healthy and should be 100% ready for week one. His size, length, and speed make him an intriguing prospect entering the 2023 season. He may need to knock some rust off early on due to the fact that he hasn’t played in a game since week five of last season, but I think he’ll be a force in the secondary for the Gators for years to come.
Cam’Ron Jackson is another player to watch in 2023. He’s going to play a major role on what should be a much-improved interior defensive line.
Gators’ wide receiver Ricky Pearsall should get WAY more looks in 2023.
jcmiller910: If we are thin at safety then why isn’t Devin Moore playing safety as he was a very highly touted safety prospect out of high school? We have plenty of dudes that can play CB at a high level.
NM: Devin Moore plays cornerback because that’s where the staff thinks his skillset matches the best, and I agree. Moore is likely a starting cornerback for the Gators in 2023, I don’t think you want to move around your starters too much. The much better alternative would be to look for a safety in the transfer portal.
oragator1: When will Florida hire a Special Teams coach?
NM: I do not expect Florida to hire a Special Teams coach while Billy Napier is the head coach here. Napier believes that his Special Teams strategy works overtime. To be fair, Louisiana didn’t have good special teams play when Napier first started there, but overtime it gradually improved. If we don’t see any improvement this season, I’ll be concerned.
cbcoakley: Why do we think the DL, Safeties and LB will improve? I mean…we likely lose at least 2-4 to the actual NFL draft…. On a defense that was statistically the worst in modern Gator history…Yet we believe the influx of young talent will make us better. Honest question here…. Do young players make us better than the departing NFL guys? Are there guys at those positions that were just maturing? What can I pin my eternal Gator hope on?
NM: Florida is likely going to have one defensive player drafted in the first five rounds, and that’s DT Gervon Dexter. Dexter was overworked in his time here, playing WAY too many snaps due to a lack of depth.
Florida grabbed Caleb Banks and Cam’Ron Jackson in the portal while also returning Chris McClellan, who is coming off his true freshman season. Florida’s depth on the interior has significantly improved.
As for the linebackers, Florida should be MUCH better in coverage than they were a year ago. Ventrell Miller is going to be a late round draft pick because of his inability to cover. Physicality was never an issue for Amari Burney, but he struggled in coverage as well. Florida returned their best coverage linebacker from last season (analytically speaking) in Shemar James, and also brought in transfer LB Mannie Nunnery, who excels in pass coverage. Scooby Williams has made a ton of noise in spring camp as well. Overall, depth has significantly improved in the linebacker room.
As for safety, Florida is going to have two new faces starting against Utah on August 31st, that alone should give Gator Nation a smile on their face after years of below average safety play.
There’s plenty to be concerned about with the safety unit, but Florida is likely not done adding players to the position.
Florida will also lean on a new defensive coordinator in 2023.
Srezn1042: Do you think the format and performance at the Orange and Blue game were indicative of our teams abilities or more all about Coach Napier caring less about the public’s perception of a scrimmage during which there were specific things he wished to see?
NM: I think it’s a little bit of both. There’s a likely chance that Florida’s offense has gotten worse while the defense has significantly improved, but not to the extent we saw in the spring game. Coach Napier doesn’t about the public’s perception of the scrimmage either.