Billy Napier says he wants to call plays despite mulling changes
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — After hinting this week at more potential changes to his staff, Florida coach Billy Napier has clarified where he stands when it comes to calling plays on offense in 2024.
He wants to keep doing it.
Asked Wednesday whether he will continue in that role, Napier said “all that is to be determined” as he’s in the process of “defining those roles” and may have some different titles and responsibilities on his offensive staff.
“There could be an addition or two, we’ve shuffled the deck a little bit in terms of those things, but ultimately we’ll keep the same system and keep moving forward in that regard,” Napier said. “I don’t see any major overhauls outside of just how we organize that group and how we operate in house.”
Napier provided more clarity about the situation on the Gator Tales podcast with Voice of the Gators Sean Kelley. Kelley asked him whether he still wants to call plays offensively and if he will.
“Yeah, I do,” Napier said. “I think that, big picture wise, we’re taking the group of people that we have there and we’re trying to develop some people, groom some people. We’ve done a ton of work in the offseason to kind of evaluate that in terms of what that looks like.
“I think down the stretch we played pretty good offense. We created a bunch of explosive plays. We scored points. I think we’ve got a quarterback that’s returning in the same system. I think ultimately for me, it’s about all of these other areas being taken care of so that I can focus and do my best for the team in that regard.”
Based on those comments, it appears that redefining some of the roles and responsibilities on the offensive staff will be done so that Napier can keep play-calling duties on his plate, not take them away.
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After averaging just 18 points in their first three Power Five games and scoring 22 points at home against Charlotte, the Gators averaged 33.5 points in their last six SEC games before the season-ending injury to starting quarterback Graham Mertz.
Napier’s comment about trying to groom some people is worth noting. UF tight ends coach Russ Callaway, the former OC at Samford (2016-19), could be someone Napier eventually hands the keys to.
Napier coaches the quarterbacks and call the plays, but Callaway is already involved in the operation with offensive coordinator Rob Sale and signals in the plays from the sideline. Callaway will take on more responsibilities moving forward.
“I’ve worked closely with him for a year,” Napier said of Callaway, who he promoted after the 2022 season as a defensive intern. “I think ultimately, he’s a guy that obviously is going to acquire more responsibility. How we define that, you know, I think we’ll work our way through that. Ultimately, Russ is a heck of a young coach.
“And much like me, he’s worked on defense in the past as a young coach, he’s called plays at different levels, played quarterback, has the leadership components, has the respect of the players. So, Russ is a guy that we certainly are excited about. And you know, he definitely in the future will require more responsibility.”
