Forgoing an OC Hire: The Right or Wrong Move for Gators Billy Napier?

Gainesville, Fla. – Just a month ago, Florida Gators fans were over the moon. Their team won their final four games, including the Gasparilla Bowl. They signed some top high school talent and their hopes for new coordinators on staff were rising.

However, one of these positives has already been slashed from the script.

Just last week, Gators head coach Billy Napier announced that he would not be tinkering with the offensive setup going into 2025, 247Sports’s Zach Goodall reported on X (formerly known as Twitter).

“We just need to do our stuff better, so we’ll spend our offseason working on that,” Napier told Goodall.

Only time will tell if this will be the right course of action. But at the moment, it doesn’t look that way.

Some key injuries hindered Florida’s offensive success, but when looking at the stats, many areas need improvement. The Gators finished No. 64 in the nation in scoring, averaging just a hair above 28 points per game. That number is also only good for No. 11 in the SEC.

This team struggled to convert on third down. The offense was No. 92 in the nation in this category, only successfully converting on third down 37.9 percent of the time. This goes hand in hand with them finishing 82nd in total first downs.

These numbers alone validate the need for an offensive playcalling upgrade. By now, Napier should understand the difficulties of handling the playcalling responsibilities. He’s spreading his focus in too many directions, and it’s negatively impacting decisions on the field.

It isn’t just stats proving this either, use the eye test as well. How many times have they wasted a talented receiver by sending him on an orbit motion? How many times have the Gators got into a dangerous area and disrupted the momentum with a play call that made zero sense and cost them points?

If you want one example, look back at the FSU game from two years ago. After forcing a safety and holding all the marbles, he tried calling a trick play with a backup quarterback in his first collegiate season and it turned into a disaster. Then, FSU gets the ball back and scores on the eve of halftime to swing the pendulum back their way. Additionally, the Gators would go on to lose this game.

Things like this are happening regularly for him to be content with what the offense looks like on the field.

Another example that goes against the decision to focus on his current offense is Ohio State.

Ryan Day hired Chip Kelly as their new offensive coordinator this past offseason after finishing the 2023 year with the No. 46 offensive rating in KFord Ratings. Kelly then turned the No. 46 offense into the No. 3 offense and the Buckeyes won the National Championship.

Chip Kelly OC hire paid off

Ohio St's Offensive Rating

2023 -46th
2024-3rd https://t.co/6eG6NZEzQ6
— Eddie Rojas (@gatorpow) January 23, 2025

Sometimes that extra add is a difference maker.

The Gators might not have the same level of talent. But that doesn’t mean an OC can’t still maximize the talent at his disposal.

It’s clear to many that this offense needs a little revamping, but it doesn’t seem like Napier is comfortable enough doing so, which could come back to bite him next season.