The Florida Gators host their annual Orange & Blue spring game on April 13th. I plan on being at the game that day, so I will give my honest assessment of what I hopefully see from the team. A lot is riding on this season for the program, not only for Napier and his staff but also for athletic director Scott Stricklin. Stricklin has made three coaching hires at football (including Napier), and two hires at basketball in Mike White and Todd Golden. Thankfully the Golden hire has blossomed into a SEC Tournament Finals appearance and a NCAA Tournament appearance. Heading into a critical year 3, the Florida Gators would like to clean up the many on-field mistakes that have hindered the team for the last two years to finally achieve an above .500 record for the first time since 2020.
So now that brings the conversation in full circle back to the spring game. What do I believe the Gator faithful should be looking for in this upcoming event?
1. What are Florida’s plans for special teams? Is Joe Houston taking the reigns head-on or is it a shared responsibility with Chris Couch?
The Florida Gators have had issues with this group for a couple of years in the Napier era. In 2022, a special teams mistake cost Florida a shut-out performance versus South Carolina in a 38-6 victory that allowed USC to get their only score of the entire game. The very next week, a muffed punt helped seal a loss to Vanderbilt. Last season, in the opener against Utah, Florida had a missed field goal, a penalty for two players being on the field with the same number simultaneously, and a play that had eight players on the field, which is a penalty but somehow the officials missed it. No blunder would be more crushing than when an illegal substitution penalty moved a field goal back five yards leading to a missed kick by Trey Smack, allowing Arkansas to win in overtime.
Hopefully, new senior analyst Joe Houston can bring a new schematic approach to the third dimension of the field.
2. Who is the starting five on the offensive line?
The Gators have a lot of question marks at this position, so naming the starters will be equivalent. Florida is bringing back three potential starters Austin Barber, Jake Slaughter, and Damieon George Jr. George Jr is moving to right guard while Barber and Slaughter stay at their natural positions. What to watch for is the maturation of sophomore linemen Caden Jones, Knijeah Harris, and Roderick Kearney. Harris’s name has been heralded by his coaches and media personnel as the placekeeper for the starting left guard spot. Along with those names come transfers, Devon Manuel from Arkansas and Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson from San Diego State. Dickson has multiple years as a starter at right tackle.
3. How quickly is DJ Lagway settling in?
DJ Lagway has been a name that the Gator faithful have been clamoring for since his early commitment back in December of 2022. He is expected to redshirt this year behind Graham Mertz who returns to Florida after starting eleven games last season. You’re not going to put too much into his performance in the spring game because it is a glorified scrimmage. I want to see how accurate he is in downfield throwing, pocket presence, and play selection based on his attributes.
4. Has Florida made philosophical adjustments on offense?
A lot of criticism and scrutiny has surrounded the playcalling. Coach Napier will remain as the play-caller this season, but he did make a change by elevating TE coach Russ Calaway to co-offensive coordinator along with Rob Sale. Another change is that former Darnel Stapleton left UF to go to the NFL with the Washington Commanders, prompting the hire of co-OL coach Jonathan Decoster.
5. Improvement in tackling fundamentals and a more ferocious mindset on defense
The defensive side of the field for Florida has been an annual disappointment. Last year, the Gators were statistically 69th or worse in FBS in every major defensive category and were almost incapable of securing takeaways. Coach Napier saw the need for immediate changes in hiring three new assistant coaches at all levels. With the class, Florida added DL and LB, plus transferred players to the secondary, having fresh faces and new mindsets can help change the culture and temperament of the defense.
6. How has the wide receiver room shaken out during offseason training?
Last year, Florida had the benefit of the Tre Wilson plus Ricky Pearsall duo. Pearsall is headed to the pros, naturally, the team is looking for a new outside threat of Wilson. Florida has added some new targets in speedster freshmen Tank Hawkins and TJ Abrams, a transfer in Chimere Dike who has a history with Graham Mertz back at Wisconsin, and returning players in Aidan Mizell, Andy Jean, and Khaliel Jackson. Jackson has been a recurring name as a player to watch for throughout spring camp and could be a potential starter for the opener versus Miami-FL
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