Ten offseason warning signs Florida Football was always going to be terrible in 2024
![Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier runs onto the field before the start of the game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 7, 2024 against the Samford Bulldogs. The Gators won 45-7. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4106,h_2309,x_0,y_1007/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2F213%2F01j7xf79f6wafy89fam6.jpg "Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier runs onto the field before the start of the game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 7, 2024 against the Samford Bulldogs. The Gators won 45-7. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]")
January:
When Princely Umanmielen announced he was transferring to Ole Miss, fans tried to play it off as if it was no big deal. We tried to make the point that it was a big blow to Florida's roster.
"Many people thought that Princely Umanmielen wasn't going to be back in 2024 anyway and that he would head off to the NFL. So, in some ways, one can rationalize his loss and could put this far lower on the list.
But like Eitenne, the fact that Umanmielen is going to play college football in 2024 but looked at Napier and said "But not for you" is another massive blow to the program.
And like Mazzaccua, the narrative that some pushed of "He sucked" is just nonsense. Umanmielen might not have been the pure wrecking ball some would have hoped for, but who else on Florida's roster in 2023 was going to step up and take his place?"
So, follow-up question, what is one of the weakest units for the Gators in 2024?
February:
This didn't involve anything on the field, but it feels like a sign that we shouldn't take things at face value. In February, Florida fired Marcus Castro-Walker after his name surfaced from the NCAA in relation to the failed Jaden Rashada NIL deal.
We thought it was weird at the time.
"This all raises one big lingering question in regards to Castro-Walker: If whatever Castro-Walker did warranted a parting of the way from Florida, why weren't the Gators alarmed over the past 13 months since the Rashada deal fell apart? Why is it only once his name was mentioned by the NCAA was Florida alarmed?
Because it would require a huge leap of faith to pretend that Castro-Walker operated as a rouge agent who caught Florida by surprise. Go back to the report from The Athletic, Florida higher-ups, including Scott Stircklin, were working with Castro-Walker during the Rashada deal."
Rashada has since gone on to allege a direct phone call with Napier having a role in the failed NIL deal.