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Florida Football: Five New Year's Resolutions the Gators should consider

Just because things didn't go great in 2023 doesn't mean things can't turn around in 2024.

By Benjamin Henderson

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier gives fist bumps to fans during Gator Walk at Ben Hill
Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier gives fist bumps to fans during Gator Walk at Ben Hill / Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY
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When the calendar turned over last year from 2022 to 2023, there was still a sense of optimism for Florida football. There was reason to believe, even though Anthony Richardson was gone that Florida could lean on its run game, and as long as the defense was remotely improved, the end result would be better.

Oops.

But what good is a new year if one can't have hope and optimism? While we here at Hail Florida Hail have moved from the patient to skeptical category with Billy Napier, there are five things the Gators could do in 2024 that would get things moving in the correct direction.

Florida Football New Year's Resolutions: Change leadership of special teams

Do you have the time, to listen to me whine? Because if you do then we could spend this entire piece writing about special teams for Florida.

We have mused that one of our chief concerns is that even if Florida brought in better talent, it would not fix the comedy of errors we saw with special team in 2023.

Florida sent two guys out wearing the same number against Utah, botched multiple short field goals/extra points, got called for a back breaking leaping penalty against Kentucky, kept sending 10 or fewer guys out to return punts, didn't know when to send out the field goal unit against Arkansas, and would have given up a massive trick play against FSU if not for a petty penalty that didn't impact the play itself.

It is known that Florida doesn't have a listed special teams coordinator among their ten allowed on field coaches. They do have Chris Couch, an off field assistant, listed as the GameChangers Coordinator.

It is true that most teams don't use one of their ten assistant slots for a dedicated special teams coordinator. But what the majority of teams do is take one of their position coaches and double them up with the unit. Alabama, for example, has their outside linebackers coach double up. Michigan uses their safeties coach. Texas has their tight ends coach and Washington has their EDGE coach.

All we know is that Florida can't keep the unit as it is and expect things to be any different in 2024.

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