What a Buster Faulkner Offense Brings to Florida Gators

The Florida Gators offensive coordinator brings experience with energizing stagnent offense

Faulkner could bring diverse options to the Gators' offense | Susan Broadbridge/Hattiesburg American

The Florida Gators didn’t lose games because of a lack of talent. They lost them because of how that talent was used.

After three and a half years of self-inflicted wounds under former head coach Billy Napier’s play-calling, hope may finally be on the way for Gators fans.

Rather than handling play-calling duties himself, new head coach Jon Sumrall made it a priority to delegate the responsibility, hiring former Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner.

With 14 years of experience as a collegiate offensive coordinator under his belt, he’s managed to be successful at each spot while strategically adapting to his team's strengths.

A Look At Faulkner’s Style

While Georgia Tech leaned heavily on the run, Faulkner is fluent in a wide range of offensive styles. 

At his core, he’s actually a disciple of the Air Raid, the downfield, pass-heavy offensive system popularized by offensive innovator Mike Leach at Valdosta State, who left the framework of the offense behind before jumping to the Division I level.

Faulkner was introduced to the offense there as a quarterback before later returning as a coach, helping guide the program to a Division II national championship.

His success carried over at the FBS level. As Arkansas State’s offensive coordinator, the veteran play-caller oversaw the nation’s No. 17 offense, averaging 446.2 yards per game in 2018. In 2015 at Middle Tennessee, his unit ranked No. 32 nationally in total offense.

Early in his career, Faulkner adopted Leach’s love for the four verticals concept. Not to be confused with a Hail Mary, the concept sends the outside receivers on “go” routes with the option to settle against deep zone coverage (Cover 3, Cover 4, etc.), while the slot receivers attack the seams, putting the safety in conflict as one receiver bends in front of him while the other stays vertical.

His approach with the Yellow Jackets looked different from his Air Raid days, but the results were the same. Faulkner showed a willingness to evaluate his personnel and tailor the offense to their skillset, rather than forcing a system that didn’t fit.

Georgia Tech’s offense was stagnant before Faulkner arrived. The year prior, the Yellow Jackets averaged just over 17 points per game, the seventh-lowest total in the nation. They ranked 121st on third down, 115th in passing efficiency, and 114th in total offense.

Two years removed from being one of the worst offenses in the country, Faulkner helped propel the Yellow Jackets more than 100 spots up the national rankings, finishing No. 15 in total offense this season.

While quarterback Haynes King has some limitations pushing the ball downfield, Faulkner consistently put him in positions to succeed as a passer through intentional scheming. 

Georgia Tech leaned heavily on bunch formations, stacking three receivers tightly on one side of the field while leaving either a tight end or a single receiver on the opposite side. The bunch formation also served as a base look at times, allowing Faulkner to send a receiver on a fast motion across the field to create a 2x2 set or simply use an exit motion into the boundary.

Those looks create stress for defenses, forcing defenses to adjust their coverage and communicate through traffic before and after the snap. 

They also keep defenses honest. If a defense shifted its strength toward the bunch, King would take advantage and counter with a read-option run to the weak side.

The Yellow Jackets also utilized a lot of empty formations, which can be highly productive in an offense with receivers capable of making defenders miss in space. While the spread-out look opens up the quarterback draw, it also creates opportunities to attack the perimeter with jet sweeps and screen passes while having blockers in space.

He also paired screens with a more downfield concept on the opposite side of the formation. As the screens piled up, defenses were forced to trigger downhill, which opened the door for double moves and screen-and-go concepts that generated chunk plays.

King finished with the fourth-most rushing yards in the ACC (922) while also being one of the conference’s most efficient passers, throwing just five interceptions and posting the second-best completion percentage at 71.7 percent.

How Does Florida’s Talent Fit In?

With DJ Lagway recently entering the transfer portal, it remains unclear who Florida's quarterback for the upcoming season will be. But Faulkner's track record shows he'll likely craft an offensive strategy that best suits the strength of his signal-caller and the pieces around him. 

Rather than being used as gadget players by being dumped off screens following orbit motions, Florida’s receivers should have the opportunity to showcase their route-running ability while putting pressure on defenses down the field.

Georgia Tech’s offense finished with the eighth-most rushing yards among Power Four teams, leaving little doubt that Gators’ star running back Jadan Baugh will fit right in if he chooses to return.

With the Yellow Jackets, Faulkner called plenty of inside zone plays while also pairing them with split zones to keep defenses on their toes. At 6-foot-1 and 231 pounds, Baugh should thrive under this system, punishing defenses between the tackles with his downhill, bruising style.

With back-to-back top 10 recruiting classes in 2023 and 2024, Florida clearly has the talent. Now, it’s simply about putting it to proper use.