re: 2022 Football Discussion Thread General Thoughts & Comments

I expect nothing better than an Outback Bowl bid this year at best. I’m willing to write this season off to see what the recruiting looks like for next year. A top 10 class will look hopefull for ‘23-24 seasons.

I think we will be better than expected. Still 8-4 to me. Being better doesn’t mean winning more games.

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I'd say most likely scenario is this:

Sept 3 Utah - L
Sept 10 Kentucky - W
Sept 17 USF - W
Sept 24 at Tennessee - L
Oct 1 Eastern Washington - W
Oct 8 Missouri - W
Oct 15 LSU - L
Oct 22 OPEN DATE
Oct 29 Georgia (in Jacksonville) - L
Nov 5 at Texas A&M - L
Nov 12 South Carolina - W
Nov 19 at Vanderbilt - W
Nov 25 at Florida State - W

7-5 (4-4 in SEC)

A lot of my thoughts on this season will hinge on that first game against Utah.

Thats your barometer - top 10 team at home to start the season.

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That's a very reasonable prediction and set of expectations. Not too negative or optimistic.

I do think, however, that we'll win one of those games that you're predicting to be a loss.

Of course, as you mentioned, if we do come out guns blazing and get a convincing W against Utah, we could end up having a really good season.

I can't wait!

Pearsall eager for opportunity to 'show the world' what he can do at UF
JACOB RUDNER 4 hours ago

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Just over 48 hours before he announced his commitment to the University of Florida, former Arizona State wide receiver Ricky Pearsall sat in on a Zoom meeting with several members of the Gators’ coaching staff.

The purpose of the meeting was simple: Show Pearsall and his family why Florida was the right school to earn his transfer by discussing things such as scheme fit, coaching staff experience, quarterback play and more.

According to Pearsall, the session included a discussion about Napier’s work as a wide receiver’s coach at Alabama where he helped develop three first-round selections, Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy and Calvin Ridley. They talked about Florida wide receivers coach Keary Colbert, too. Colbert spent the last six years at USC where he worked with 2022 first-round wideout Drake London as well as current NFL wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Amon-Ra St. Brown as well as free agent wideout Robert Davis.


Pearsall went into the meeting torn between his finalists, Florida and Oregon. But the information he received during the Zoom gave him the clarity he needed. By Saturday, May 21, the former three-star prospect said there was little doubt that Florida was the right pick.

“I saw what coach Napier did with several players in the past and what they continue to do in the NFL,” Pearsall said. “That was a big thing for me. I’m not trying to be the type of guy to get to the NFL and just be average. I want to go and do what I do. A lot of his receivers have done that and he’s a winner wherever he goes. He’s going to do what he needs to do to win games and he said he needs me to be a part of that.”

Florida and Oregon were in a heated pursuit for Pearsall, who paced Arizona State’s wideouts in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns as a third-year sophomore last season. According to Pearsall’s father, Rick Pearsall, it was unclear what his son would do as late as May 20.

But through conversation with his family and some introspection, Pearsall realized that in order to maximize his opportunity as a transfer, he would need to elevate the level of competition he was facing. Oregon is set to play eight teams that Pearsall matched up against last season as a Sun Devil.

It practically goes without saying that Pearsall has his sights set on an NFL career. He said he believes playing in the SEC will build a stronger case for why he deserves one.

“I told myself when I entered the portal that I so SEC, you can’t get no better than that,” he said. “That was a big driving force.

“I think that was something that definitely was a big difference. One is Pac-12 and one is SEC. I just think it looks better on my part if I showed that I can play in the SEC instead of solidifying that I can play in the Pac-12. I’m excited to work for it.”

While he spoke quite highly of the relationships he built with members of Oregon’s coaching staff, Pearsall said his decision was also driven by how strongly he felt about Florida’s coaching infrastructure, saying that he felt a comforting level of trust with “Billy Napier and all the other coaches.”

Pearsall also said the staff’s approach to his recruitment stood out to him. The way Napier communicated with him and his family, in particular, seemingly sold Florida to Pearsall.

“Florida’s consistency stood out to me a lot,” he said. “They were always talking to me and telling me all the things that could happen for me in the future at that school. I think coach Napier did a tremendous job recruiting me individually. He consistently texted me, he consistently texted my family and it was about football mostly but there were times he was just checking up on me and seeing how I was doing and making sure I was comfortable in the decision I was making. I think that was the biggest part.”

Ranked No. 155 among 2022 transfers on 247Sports’ recently released transfer portal Top247, Pearsall is expected to primarily contribute as a slot receiver at Florida, though he said the team’s coaches told him that they liked his versatility and ability to adequately handle other receiver positions.

Last year, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound receiver primarily played 'H' but found a way to thrive in a number of roles, including as a pivotal member of ASU's trick playbook, which led him to contribute another 103 combined yards and two touchdowns as a passer or runner.

For the most part, Pearsall was a pillar of consistency, snagging multiple catches in each game he played except one. His signature performance came against UCLA in which he scored two long touchdowns, demonstrating his breakaway speed as he also racked up 132 yards. He also finished the regular season with a two-touchdown game against Arizona and had nine catches for 83 yards in a loss to Washington State.

“I know I can do great things at a high level,” Pearsall said. “I think the biggest thing I took away from last year was learning myself. I learned what confidence is and learned what my strengths are and focusing on my weaknesses in the offseason so I can be bulletproof.”

Now Pearsall is aiming to translate his success over to the SEC. He moved to Gainesville on Tuesday to start the process of ensuring that.

“I think what’s next for me is I’m going to go to the SEC and ball out and do what I do and show that I can play against anybody in the nation,” Pearsall said. “That’s what’s next for me. I’m excited to get out there and play ball and go show the world what I can really do. I’ve only shown a glimpse

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1st Speaker (Johnny Rutledge): Spoke for like 5 minutes. Mostly talked about 1996 and how Danny Wuerffel showed a lot of tenacity in bouncing back from the FSU loss, to leading them to a win over Bama in Atlanta and then whooping the Girl’s School in the rematch (while only changing the defensive front and putting Wuerffel in the shot gun). Mostly was a long introduction for Danny, but very entertaining.


2nd Speaker (Danny Wuerffel): Made some jokes about Georgia (said he lives in Decatur now. People ask if anyone gives him problems there, and said “We played them 4 times when I was at Florida and they never gave us trouble”). Mentioned family and liked how Napier is so family-focused.

Also mentioned that he has an amazing attention-to-detail while maintaining a positive energy. Emphasized that most people are usually one way or the other, but Napier is both. Said Napier is a great listener, humble, and pays attention to everything.

Mentioned that he’s also getting more hands-on involved with the football program recently.

Napier during the Audience Q & A Session

1) Asked about NIL: He talked about trying to help players navigate what he called the “NIL Problem”. Specifically he said the challenge with NIL is that it is happening at the same time that the portal was introduced. Also, he believes that NIL can be a strength for the program if leveraged properly. Mentioned how the amount of money in the game now is growing rapidly. Mentioned how the TV deal for each team was $1.3m in 1990, $6-7m in 2008, and now $68m for each team.

He said a lot more, but I was trying to think of a question to ask, so wasn’t listening closely. He’s a politician and can say things without giving anything too juicy. So, no controversial Saban-Jimbo types of comments. There’s an article from one of his talks in South Florida a few days later that I’ll post that probably says the same things that he said in Atlanta.

2) Asked about his thoughts on AR15: Napier mentioned how he was the prototypical qb from a physical standpoint and could make plays. Joked that if someone was looking for a qb, they wouldn't pick Napier or Wuerffel, but AR. Also said that AR was fun to watch.

Napier emphasized that the #1 most important trait to him, as a coach, for a qb is the ability to lead and effect the other players on the team (referred to Wuerffel) and that was an area where he wants AR to focus on improving.

3) Asked about working with Saban: Said that he learned the most as an analyst at Bama because he was in all the different areas observing how thing were done whereas as a WR coach he was focused on just what he needed to do and produce. Working with Saban, he learned how to put an organization together, set up work flow. The UF organization now is 15-20% bigger now than when he got there.

Talked about the importance of maximizing time, “We all get the same amount of time, what we do with that time is what separates us”.

Also said another perk of working at Bama was the network he built. Getting to learn from the best coaching minds (besides Saban). He can call some people up he worked with there and ask them how they do things a certain way. Said, “Everything I know I stole from someone else”.

4) Asked about difference between Gator Collective & Gator Guard:
Gator Collective- Subscription to create experiences for fans
Gator Guard- Is more focused on the players (helping them get NIL deals and teaches them financial literacy skills to help them not blow it, etc).

Said everything is run through compliance. Darren Heitner helps with running it through compliance and helped write the NIL laws for the state of Florida

5) Asked about 2 OL coach system: Talked about how Sale had many big programs trying to hire him while they were at UL (Bama, etc). Sale turned them down but took the NFL offer. Also spoke well of Stapleton. Mentioned Ryan O Hara (who I think is an analyst). For his entire career, O Hara has been with Napier, they can practically read each others minds and speak the same way. O Hara can’t coach but can watch tape and arrange drills.

6) Asked about favorite restaurant in Gainesville: Played it like a politician and said he wouldn’t answer because if he mentioned one place, 5 other places would be mad at him.

He did give Dragonfly Sushi a special shout out because a few weeks ago, when he had some recruits in town, every restaurant was booked to capacity and the owners of Dragonfly Sushi went out of their way to host Billy and the recruits at the last minute.

7) Johnny Rutledge asked about the defense: Napier said that defense is, “not what so much about what you’re doing, but how you’re doing it.” Spoke really high about Patrick Toney and trusts they will get those guys together. Acknowledged that last years defense was, from what he saw on tape, “not very good”, and to not light the torches if they don’t shut out Utah.

Billy Napier shares his feelings on transfer portal, NIL during speaking tour
Adam Dubbin
May 20, 2022 3:21 pm ET

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Florida football head coach Billy Napier made a stop on his speaking tour on Wednesday in Ft. Lauderdale, where he shared his thoughts on two of the most impactful changes to the collegiate sports landscape in recent years — the transfer portal as well as the name, image and likeness paradigm that has recently arisen. The two issues have been compounding factors in the newly anointed head of the program’s efforts to re-establish the Orange and Blue as a preeminent force on the collegiate gridiron.

In a speech given at the Signature Grand Davie hosted by Broward County Gator Club, the Napier made clear his overall sentiments as well as his concerns moving forward into the new era. Ahead of his speaking engagement, he offered the following to the press comparing the transfer portal to how things are structured in the pros.

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“I think that it’s a little bit like NFL free agency to some degree except when a team maybe overpays, there’s no cap penalty going forward.”

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During his speech on Wednesday, he took his point a step further.

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“There’s a theory in the NFL, ‘What is the cost of a replacement?’ The value of a veteran player, the value of a guy who has experience, who knows your system, the routine, making progress towards his degree. Those players are extremely valuable to your program.

I think there’s a lot of parallels to the decision-making part of the process if that makes sense. You’ve got a chance to go, players become available through free agency in the National Football League and you’re sitting there as an owner, general manager, head coach, the leadership in each team has to make decisions in the best interest of the team. Do you need a player at a certain position?”

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In this context, Florida’s head coach is referring to how a program can plug the holes left behind by departing players and the impact the loss of upperclassmen can have on a team. Napier’s concerns run even deeper, though he made no indication that he is not up for the challenge.

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“It’s been a unique challenge, one that probably these decisions were made and some of these things weren’t anticipated. Much like anything, with abuse will come some controls. I think you’re going to see that going forward. Right now, we need some leadership, we need some parameters, we need some guidelines. There’s no market. There’s no comps. I think that’s probably the challenge a little bit. I think there’s a lot of gray area in terms of what you can do and what you can’t do. I think a lot of this is to-be-determined.”

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This is not the first time Napier has likened the new system to professional free agency and continues to promote further regulation on the part of the NCAA.

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“Right now, we need some leadership, we need some parameters, we need some guidelines. There’s no market. There’s no comps. I think that’s probably the challenge a little bit. There’s a lot of gray area in terms of what you can do and what you can’t do. I think a lot of this is to-be-determined. I think every athletic department in the entire country is in an adjustment mode. It is literally an open canvas. I think you’ve seen different approaches. We’re fortunate that I think this is going to be a really big strength for us. NIL for our players and our team, I think there are going to be a lot of positives as a result of NIL.”

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The good news is that Napier told 247Sports that Florida’s program is well equipped for war on the NIL battleground, be it on the recruiting front or with current players on the roster, though the acquisition of five Division I transfers this spring lessened the stress on those pocketbooks. While the Gators still have plenty of ground to make up on its SEC peers, it looks like Florida has the right man at the helm to take the next step.

Napier has one last stop remaining on his tour coming on May 26 back in Gainesville at Gary Condron Family Indoor Practice Facility which will be hosted by the Gator Boosters. Tickets for the event are currently on sale.

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@GrahamHall_ on Twitter

Yeah not great, but given that match up I don't blame them. I think this was a re-do for 2020, but I hope we stop scheduling these types of teams in the future. USF, FAU, that's fine. Even some decent smaller G5 schools (like Hawaii or even Western Michigan, etc). But no more fcs teams!

I'll be at a wedding that weekend anyway, so I was planning on just watching one of those condensed highlights on YouTube after the game was over.

But the first 3 weeks of night games (after all the nooners last season) is nice