Billy Napier on possible changes to offensive staff: 'To be determined'

Through two years at Florida, Billy Napier might have more questions than answers. The Gators turned in back-to-back 5-7 seasons to start his tenure, and the recruiting success hasn’t picked up the way many wanted.

Napier faced questions throughout the season about play-calling and confirmed he’d keep calling plays the rest of the way. As for what the offensive coaching staff could look like going forward, he said that evaluation process is still ongoing.

“It’s to be determined,” Napier said on National Signing Day. “I think, much like we’ve discussed before, we’re in the middle of that. We’re gonna go through — it’s one box at a time here, right? We’re gonna have new leadership in the nutrition area. Excited about potential candidates there. We’ve got a lot of other areas, much like most years, where we’re gonna do some things to try to improve all parts of our team.”

Florida’s offense saw a dip in production this year, dropping from 424.1 yards per game in 2022 to 409.1 yards on average in 2023. The Gators also went from averaging 29.5 points per game a year ago to 28.4 this past season, adding to the questions about where the offense will go.

A big part of that conversation will revolve around DJ Lagway. The Five Star Plus+ quarterback is the crown jewel of Florida’s recruiting class, checking in as the No. 10 overall player in the country from the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Of course, Graham Mertz is still with the Gators, opting to return in 2024 for one more year after putting up the best numbers of his career following his transfer from Wisconsin. Napier said he will continue to play a key role for Florida next season, especially considering the tough schedule. UF has one of the toughest stretches in the SEC toward the end of the year in what could be a make-or-break campaign for Napier.

As far as what he hopes to do on offense, though, Mertz is an important part of the equation.

“Graham’s a big piece to the puzzle, not only the production on the field but also just the leadership element,” Billy Napier said. “He spent last spring competing for the job. Probably a little bit more reserved in that regard but this guy proved himself on the field as a competitor.”