Gator Great and 1996 Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel has had the chance to hang around the program and speak to the players several times since Billy Napier took over in December. Most recently, he watched the Gators practice on Saturday. Afterward, he had a lengthy conversation with Napier inside the Indoor Practice Facility.
It’s only been about four months, but Wuerffel is pleased with what he’s seen from the new regime so far.
“I’ve been very encouraged at so many of the things that I’ve seen,” Wuerffel said. “The sheer number of quality people that are part of this program now, from all the coaches to the people doing all sorts of other aspects of it – the GatorMade program, Katie Turner and the team and Bri [Wade] and what they’re doing with recruiting – it’s really remarkable. I’ve been very grateful to have a little bit more bandwidth in my life and said, ‘Hey, if I can help with some things.’ So, I’ve been around a little more, and I’m really enjoying it.
“I’ve had a chance to talk with the players at different times, really on the subject of leadership and trying to develop leaders. I met with some of them as a group and some individually; it’s been really encouraging. I’m really excited to be associated with [GatorMade] and help really highlight some of the great stuff that they’re doing.”
GatorMade is the University Athletic Association’s career development program that deals with financial planning, social media branding, education on name, image and likeness opportunities, and more.
Obviously, nobody knows what it’s like to be the face of one of college football’s most iconic programs and how to cope with the immense pressure that comes with that better than Wuerffel.
While he was a terrific player on the field, he also was an outstanding student, as he is one of just two Heisman winners to also win the Draddy Trophy, which is given to the top football scholar-athlete. Since retiring, he’s been very involved in humanitarian efforts, most notably through his Desire Street Ministries organization.
Wuerffel’s presence around the team is part of Napier’s efforts to build well-rounded athletes and people.
Wuerffel said that he also tries to make the players feel grateful for all of the perks that come with being a UF football player. While some players might be disappointed that they’re not making as much money through NIL deals as they think that they should or living in as nice of a dorm room as they feel that they’re entitled to, the Gators didn’t even have an indoor practice facility when Wuerffel played. If it stormed, they went to the Florida Gym and had a walkthrough.
Now, the players have a beautiful indoor practice facility and buses to take them from the stadium to the practice fields. Soon, they’ll have a new standalone football complex to make things even more convenient for them.
“It’s hard to know how fortunate you are when you don’t know how it used to be,” Wuerffel said. “The players [are] just really, really cared for well, which you have to do, but you also hope that they appreciate it and don’t sort of expect that this is the way the next part of their life is going to go.”
And, of course, Wuerffel has spoken to the Gators’ quarterbacks. He likes the upside he sees in Anthony Richardson.
“You immediately see the physical skills,” Wuerffel said. “He’s a tremendous passer, really strong guy and runner. Tremendous athlete, but what’s encouraging to me is to see the way he processes the game. He’s a really smart guy, and I think he’s got so much potential. As everybody’s been saying, you hope that you see that potential translate and there’s consistency, and you hope he stays healthy.
“We’ve talked about a lot of different things. I mainly really just wanted to thank him and encourage him. I felt like both he and Emory [Jones] went through a really difficult situation last year, and they both showed a lot of class and support for one another, and I think that goes a long way.”