To fire or not to fire!! The entire debate around Billy Napier‘s run at the Gators has been weird. Either you kick the guy off and risk the $25 million, or you keep him, and “You are going to build around DJ Lagway, and you are going to actually give yourself a chance.” Sounds insensitive but Graham Mertz‘s season-ending injury was a blessing in disguise for Billy Napier.
Not only did DJ Lagway change up the entire offensive strength, but he also managed to drag the Gators out of mediocrity. A team that will be consistently facing one of the toughest schedules in the SEC finally has new hope!! But how long will this last until another kryptonite bullet hits the Superman of Gainesville, and it all comes crashing down?
“It seems like every time Billy Naper takes one step forward. It seems like he takes two steps back,” Michael Bratton pointed out back on On3. Is Florida relying too much on Lagway? Let’s talk about the Gasparilla Bowl. Gators showed an absolute dominant performance with a blowout 33-8 win against Tulane.
But when you look at it through a microscope, certain aspects of the game do make your head scratch.
Lagway threw 2 disastrous interceptions against a team that is not even remotely on the same skill level as the ones the Gators are so used to (on their schedule).
In the first half of the game, you can also see UF struggling. Only 6-0 against an AAC team before halftime? Tulane forced some massive zone coverage for which Lagway had zero answers. Yes, you can blame Napier and his play-calling for that, but then again, it does give the other SEC team’s defense a good idea of what they could cook up for Lagway’s passing plays.
A comedy of errors, you can call it; Napier, with his horrendous play-calling, making things worse for Lagway. What if, going into the 2025 season, this same problem remains? “But even in that one, they were sending 10 men onto the field. They did it multiple times on special teams… But unless we’re getting embarrassed, I’m not firing him,” Bratton added.
The second thing keeping the boat afloat is Ron Roberts as the DC. Gators defense has changed drastically this season and Roberts has done one he-k of a job. Just imagine getting a 24-point win over an Ole Miss team coming off of defeating Georgia.
Not only did the defense manage to hold back Lane Kiffin and Co. to just 17 points, but they also managed to turn the Rebels HC into an avid superstition follower. Coming back to the initial point that Bratton brought up. If UF wants to become a winning program with Lagway on the front, then Napier has to get an offensive play-caller for the team.
Enough of Billy Napier calling the shots!!
Not everyone is Steve Sarkisian. Sometimes, you gotta leave that play-calling to your OC, and Napier needs to learn that. For the last 3 years at Gainesville, the Gators’ average has been subpar. Under Napier and his play-calling, UF has barely gone past a 29.5 PPG average.
For someone who has been doing this for 3 long seasons, you would expect some changes, right? Yeah, no. Napier’s lack of success at play-calling can be boiled down to the fact that he is too conservative with his plays.
There are no risks taken and hence no big rewards. You have to understand that Lagway is amazing when it comes down to passing. He has an elite arm and can launch those deep shots on point. But if your play-calling is too tame, then you will get pressured by the defense and result in a turnover.
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