Andy Staples explains the optimism around Florida going into 2024 season

Things have not gone exactly according to script during Billy Napier’s first two seasons as the head coach at Florida. But despite Napier assembling an 11-13 regular season record in two years there, On3’s Andy Staples explained on The Paul Finebaum Show why there’s some good vibes in Gainesville.

Outside of a murderers row of a schedule (more on that in a minute), Staples noted there’s a fair few plusses going Florida’s way: A returning quarterback, some new talent, plus another year of continuity.

“I think the people at Florida legitimately feel like they’ve got a better team than they had last year,” Staples said. “And there’s a good chance they might. I think Graham Mertz was a very pleasant surprise coming in as a transfer quarterback. I think they have some pretty big expectations for him this year. Yes, everybody’s excited about DJ Lagway, but I think everybody feels pretty comfortable with what Graham Mertz can do.”

Staples then ran through some more returning and new talent.

“And then you get Shemar James back from injury on the defense,” Staples said, “Eugene Wilson III who is a very exciting wide receiver. He had some injuries, you didn’t really get a chance to see all that he could do last year. He could be exciting. Jadan Baugh, the freshman running back, is a guy I think people are going to really enjoy watching.”

But there is a key problem that potential awaits the Gators come fall: The schedule is one of, if not the hardest 12-game slates of the 2024 season as of the end of spring practices.

On top of non-conference games against Miami, UCF, and at Florida State, the Gators will host Ole Miss, LSU and Texas A&M while making trips to Tennessee and Texas. Plus, there’s always the Georgia matchup in Jacksonville.

This leads to a daunting possibility, that Florida could be better and not have a record that reflects as such. Then, Staples said, things could get interesting.

“And the thing is, if you wind up with the same record, if you’re 5-7, in that case your regular seasons under Billy Napier will be 6-6, 5-7, 5-7 — you’ve kind of shown what you are at that point,” Staples said. “You’re a .500 coach. And that’s the part that has to be sorted out. Everybody’s wondering, ‘OK, do you give this guy more time if they appear to be getting better?’ Or, do you say, ‘No, the standard is higher than just make a bowl game, at Florida.’ And I think you can’t really make that determination right now. You have to watch this team play. You have to watch them against the Georgia’s of the world, against the Texas’s of the world, the Ole Miss’s — how do they play? How do they stack up?”

For Staples, the Gators don’t necessarily need to win all those high-profile games.

But a lack of competitive play against the top teams in the SEC could be the beginning of the end for Napier and Co. in Gainesville, despite whatever optimism there is.

“But they’ve got to show that they can stack up — they don’t have to beat them all — but stack up with some of those teams,” Staples said.