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]")
March:
By the time Napier had filled it with his coaching staff, we noted that it didn't have a ton of Power Five/NFL experience. We noted at the time that Florida had the third least experienced coaching staff in the SEC.
"But when the entire staff is filled with "rising stars," there are going to be growing pains along the way in a season where Napier can't afford to have growing pains. 2023 was the first Power Five season for Austin Armstrong, and while we generally like his style, Napier already felt that he was in need of a mentor for 2024.
And it's not like Florida's coaching staff is close enough in experience that we are just arguing over semantics. Florida's median Power Five experience of four years is more than one standard deviation away from 11 other SEC programs.
If 2024 goes well for Florida and the band stays together for 2025, we will look at this staff as proof that we need to let Napier trust his own instincts and just because he is doing things differently doesn't mean it is wrong.
If 2024 goes south, it will be a reminder of why experience still holds value over youthful vigor."
April:
Perhaps the biggest warning sign that Napier's offense was never going to be elite was the fact that Florida's 2022 offense was mid despite a talented unit.
After the NFL Draft, we pointed out just how many NFL guys the unit had and why the unit wasn't good enough in 2022.
"But for as much as the narrative surrounding the 2022 squad was how bad the defense was, and don't get it twisted it was a train wreck, the offense wasn't exactly a season long juggernaut.
Against Kentucky the Gators scored 16 points and Anthony Richardson threw a back breaking pick six. Against Missouri the offense only managed 17 points as Jaydon Hill saved the day with two interceptions, including a pick six. Against Vanderbilt, while Xzavier Henderson's punt muff was the culprit we all remember, the Gators still only scored 24 points against the 9th worst scoring defense in the country in 2022."