One of the hallmarks for Florida Football during the Billy Napier Era has been the idea of building a long-term system that is sustainable for year-to-year success rather than chasing wins in the short term at the expense of the program down the road.
Whether or not he has been successful in doing that is up for debate, but he explained his philosophy this week and what he is trying to accomplish in Gainesville.
Florida Football builds for the future
In an extended interview with Josh Pate, Napier was asked about balancing getting guys playing time when they may or may not be ready.
Napier highlighted his approach to make sure guys got game reps:
"Like they need the reps. You've got to have an environment where you get them to the show, and I think there's a greater good concept.
You're always as a coach, you're pushing the gas, but then it's like, hey, we've got to get them to the show. So the challenge is that these young players have to be ready to embrace this role they're not ready for, and I think you have to commit to that.
A good example is that we played Miles Graham and Aaron Chiles at inside linebacker last year. We played them a possession every half, just as a long-term commitment to their growth.
We may need them. We have to keep them engaged. It's going to be important for their development this offseason."
Pros and Cons of the Approach
What Napier said is nothing new. He tends to have a deeper rotation than most coaches, but while Graham and Chiles were former top 100 overall prospects who held their own on the field, not everyone he has insisted on giving reps to can claim the same.
We're not going to name names, but there were guys who had extended runs on the field this season who had no business getting the snaps they got. Yes, guys need in-game snaps if they are going to develop. The problem is that some of these guys were such a liability on the field that they were costing the Gators any real chance of winning.
It's great to try and give a guy reps, but there also has to be the willingness to pull the plug the instant a guy showcases he isn't ready.
We'll see how this approach plays out in 2025, as Florida's main rotation seems mostly set in stone.
We'll also see if sacrificing games in 2024 is going to pay off with more wins in 2025.