Florida Football: Top five concerns for the Gators in 2023
![Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier looks on during fall football practice at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, August 5, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F505761b3ca154372c1ba1a8de7c6f4d0a752dfa9d7acb617dd3cac78f5d25605.jpg "Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier looks on during fall football practice at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, August 5, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]")
Florida Football Concerns No. 2: Billy Napier’s Clock Management
One of the narratives that surrounds Napier is his insistence to be the offensive coordinator in addition to being the head coach.
In the long run, we don’t see Napier retaining play-calling duties if he wants to get Florida football to the promise land, but it is not like Florida’s offense was anemic last year. The Gators averaged 27.7 points per game, top half in the country, and went 6-7 more because the defense couldn’t stop anyone even if they lowered the difficulty sliders to Rookie on Madden 24.
But one of the clear drawbacks of Napier’s insistence on being the offensive coordinator was his refusal at the end of halves to try and score more points despite the paper-thin defense. Whether he was distracted and lost track of time or just genuinely wanted to sit on the ball, Napier claims he analyzed every aspect of the program in the offseason.
So now, entering 2023, is he going to try and overcorrect the problem, even though on paper he isn’t going to have a quick strike offense like he had last year?
Florida is probably going to be in some low-possession-type games this season, so making the correct call at the end of halves is going to be crucial.