Urban Meyer see fight in Florida Football, not so much in FSU

The 2024 season hasn't been amazing for Florida Football. The Gators are 5-5, but one of the positive narratives is that Florida has continued to play hard, not counting the Texas game, and the team hasn't quit on Billy Napier.

Plenty from around the country have taken notice of not just Florida's fight, but also of the lack of fight from Florida's Neighbors to the West.

Florida Football: Fight until the end

Urban Meyer appeared on The Triple Option podcast along with Rob Stone and Mark Ingram, and Florida was brought up. Meyer said he was impressed by how well the team has stuck together, given all the background noise surrounding the program.

But Meyer also took note how quickly things have gone south at FSU after a 13-1 campaign in 2023:

"I'm going to tell you something, I'm a fan of Coach Napier. I don't know him, I met him once or twice. They've been obviously really struggling, but the one thing they have not done like the team in Tallahassee is quit. They have continued to fight."

You were warned

Something we here at Hail Florida Hail chronicled at the end of last season was how FSU's 2023 campaign wasn't sustainable. While the Seminoles were busy throwing a pity party after being left out of the playoffs, they forgot to practice any football in the leadup to their 63-3 beatdown in the Orange Bowl.

We noted after the game something that has been a little too on the nose:

"The end result was a beat down so bad that even Bishop Sycamore felt vindicated. If one is keeping score at home, FSU lost by 60 points to Georgia. In Bishop Syamore's infamous game against IMG, even they managed to keep it closer than 60.

And one could write off Saturday's performance as "Well, that team didn't represent who the Seminoles truly were in 2023," and one would be correct.

Um, question though. All the players that opted out were players that weren't going to return in 2024 anyway. But, if the players that did take the field in garnet and gold on Saturday are not the 2024 Seminoles either, then who is?

If FSU had lost by something like 35-3 or 45-10, no one would have blinked. 63-3 is FSU wasting any opportunity it had to get the players that will make up their 2024 squad better. 63-3 is FSU throwing a month-long pity party and winding up with a less productive bowl month than Florida.

63-3 is a sign that 2023 was built on smoke and mirrors by a team that got away with having zero depth by playing in a weak conference."

Florida has flaws in 2024, but at least they have not given up. And the warning signs that things were going to go south for FSU in 2024 were always there.