![Co-Offensive Coordinator / Tight Ends Coach Russ Callaway, coaches during Fall practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, August 13, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_3571,h_2008/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/213/01jnx859dcb81n5q4jeh.jpg "Co-Offensive Coordinator / Tight Ends Coach Russ Callaway, coaches during Fall practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, August 13, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]")
When Russ Callawwas promoted to offensive coordinator for Florida Football, most fans assumed it was a move based primarily on semantics since Billy Napier claimed he would still be calling the plays in 2025. The Gators have seldom used a four-receiver set in the Billy Napier Era, oftentimes sticking to formations that are more tight-end heavy.
But Callaway hinted on Saturday that some of the air raid concepts that he has implemented in the past might just make their way to the field on Saturdays in 2025.
Florida Football: Need For Speed
One of the consternations for Gator fans has been the insistence on using two tight end sets. In 2024, Florida had two tight ends on the field about one-third of the time while using one tight end to go with three receivers the other two-thirds.
As we have made the point, two tight end sets aren't automatically bad as NFL teams use them a bunch, and even teams like Ohio State used them to great success in 2024.
But the counterpoint we have made is that 12 personnel sets (one running back, two tight ends, and two wide receivers) don't maximize the speed Florida has across the board at receiver on top of Florida not really having enough quality in the tight end room to justify having two of them on the field with frequency.
As we chronicled earlier in the week, Florida had plenty of speed on the roster in 2024 only to wind up 64th in points per game.
In 2024, Florida had Aidan Mizell and Tank Hawkins largely relegated to the bench despite them being some of the fastest guys on the team. They are back in 2025, along with a healthy Eugene Wilson and newcomers J. Michael Sturdivant, Vernell Brown, and Dallas Wilson.
During a press conference on Saturday, Callaway hinted there might be some plans to get all of that speed on the field at once in 2025:
"Yes, there’s plans for multiple groupings, not just 11 and 12. But just trying to get all the guys that we have here that are gonna be finally healthy, get them involved and get them going"
As is the case with a lot of things in Gainesville, Gator fans will believe it when they see it. But if Florida is genuinely going to explore more four wide receiver sets, it would better maximize the roster in Gainesville and could finally turn Florida into the explosive offense Gator fans have been craving for years.