Florida Gators Fans: Don’t Say #InAllKindsOfWeather If You Don’t Mean It

Something’s been bothering me over the past year or so. Lots of Gators fans are calling for head coach Will Muschamp’s head and for quarterback Jeff Driskel to take a seat behind an unproven freshman. With the news of spark plug QB Treon Harris coming out Monday, the negativity continues to surround the Florida football program.

Stop it.

Every game between the third and fourth quarter, Florida fans across the country put their arms around their Gator brethren, sway back and forth, and sign “We Are the Boys” in unison. There’s one part of that melody that rings true with me and that’s, “In all kinds of weather we’ll all stick together…for F-L-O-R-I-D-A.” Problem is, most of the fan base isn’t sticking together. In fact, the only fan base more fragmented than Florida could be Michigan.

We gather 90,000 strong in The Swamp to see the Gators play every week we can. Well, close to 90,000 since last year’s disastrous season. And the whole point is to get behind the 111 student-athletes that get to put on the Orange and Blue and support the university you chose to love. These athletes are just kids and kids often make mistakes. It’s in their nature. But that doesn’t mean you get to call out specific players behind the façade of social media.

Yes, Driskel came in with a lot of fanfare as the top QB recruit of his class, but he hasn’t completely panned out the way we all expected. This year was supposed to be his renaissance under the direction of Kurt Roper. Everything was great against Eastern Michigan and Driskel even showed moxie against Kentucky, but then Alabama happened followed by his Rocky Top struggles and now he can do no right. Driskel is the equivalent of Brussels sprouts or the IRS to Gators fans right now. He doesn’t deserve that. Driskel’s worked hard over his career and has had the class to speak to media in a polite manner even if he just lost his starting job. Maybe it’s not all on Driskel. Maybe if the wide receivers could catch balls and the offensive line could protect him, Driskel would have a little more success. Two of Driskel’s three picks against Tennessee were due to wide-out miscues. There were at least four other drops. The offensive line, though better than last season, still didn’t give Driskel the time to complete passes as he took three sacks and faced pressure. How big is that Jake McGee injury now?

Muschamp is entirely another story. He gets paid more than the average person makes in their entire career. He’s posted a 25-17 record over four seasons. Take out the 11-2 2012 season, and his record is 14-15. Tough. But he’s been a great recruiter and, up until the Harris news, has kept the Gators out of the news for the wrong reasons (read: police blotter). But his success off the field doesn’t mirror the results on the field. The offenses have been terrible, especially for a program that invented the “Fun ‘N Gun” offense under Steve Spurrier in the 90s. Muschamp should be criticized for not having the wins on the field, but not as far as to ridicule your alma mater or favorite school.

Athletic Director Jeremy Foley usually knows what he’s doing. He’s hired some ace coaches throughout his tenure and has put Florida on the map with 23 national championships along 10 sports since 1992. That includes all the Gators titles in football and men’s basketball. When Foley believes Muschamp can turn around the program, I tend to believe him. And even though there have been struggles this season, Florida’s still 1-1 in the SEC and 3-1 overall, giving them the opportunity to still accomplish all of its goals. I’m not saying he’s the best coach in the world, but give him the benefit of the season. Even if the Gators don’t make a bowl this season, does it really make sense to get rid of Muschamp just to wait until after the regular season and possibly playoffs end to find a suitable replacement?

Gator fans attitudes should mirror the way you think about the United States’ president. No matter which candidate you voted for, the president still leads the greatest country in the world. I know the head coach position and starting quarterback aren’t elected positions, but they’re still chosen by representatives of the greatest university in the universe. I love my alma mater. I may or may not have voted for a POTUS past or present, but once they’re in office, they’re my president. The same goes for Florida. I may not agree with Muschamp’s coaching or Driskel’s decisions, but that’s my coach and quarterback. In the end, they’re people and they deserve the same respect you or I get. If and when Muschamp moves on and Driskel takes a seat (or graduates), then my allegiance will be fully for the new regime. I will always continue to support both, however.

I continued to root for Ron Zook, even though he had a less than stellar three years in Gainesville. Spurrier is still one of my favorite coaches. I’m appreciative of the success that Urban Meyer had in his stint at UF. And every quarterback, even Rex Grossman, John Brantley, Jacoby Brissett, and Cam Newton to a certain degree, I wish success in their future endeavors.

It’s nearly impossible for one team to dominate for an extended period of time. Teams are cyclical in nature, especially college sports. You can’t keep players for more than four years and it’s rare good coaches last more than 10. Ask anyone who became a Gators fan before 1990 and they’ll tell you that Florida was the equivalent of an Ole Miss or Mississippi: A perennial non-contender with a few good seasons mixed throughout. Maybe a change is good for the Gators, but that doesn’t mean that I’ll stop supporting my school in the meantime.

One other thing needs to be pointed out, mostly to do with the Treon Harris incident. We’re talking about sexual assault, a serious offense that could change the course of both the accuser and the implicated lives forever. It’s not OK to harass the alleged victim behind the smoke screen of twitter and Facebook just because it effects your team. We need to keep some perspective. Some things are more important than football. Don’t engage FSU fans or #FSUTwitter. Take the high road.

It’s called the Gator Nation for a reason. It’s a brotherhood or cause for us fans to unite and support the best school out there, not to deride and second guess. Without it, I know my life would be missing something. I’m sure most of you out there feel the same way too. That’s why Muschamp and Driskel will continue to be my coach and QB until they’re not. And I will continue to watch every single second of every football game that I can. It may be a struggle and we may need coping mechanisms, but “In All Kinds of Weather”, right?