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Post by tapsgator on Dec 27, 2022 10:38:39 GMT -5
So, here's the problem with this, Mertz initially was slated to go to Kentucky. However Kentucky also targeted Devin Leary who is the consensus number 1 ranked QB to enter the portal thus far to Mertz's 12-18 depending on the site. Mertz then commits to Florida. The problem I have is that this may very well mean we are out on the other guys in the portal. Rashada better be the real deal. Best analogy I saw was "Gators getting Mertz out of the portal feels like going to the grocery store to buy a huge steak and coming back with a Hungry Man microwave dinner." Having seen him play, that's pretty much dead on. Maybe Napier can coach him up, but he's been a bust. This is not good. White (#9 IOL in portal) and Tarquin (11 Tackle) were going to be our two best lineman next season. Wherever they go they'll start. Braun (18 IOL) will likely start at Arkansas. We have 2 offensive line coaches and one is the OC, although pretty much in name only. Not good. We basically need a starting offensive line out of the portal, and unless we pull off some shockers we won't get anybody ranked nearly as high. As bad as the O-line was in the bowl game it projects to be worse. Apart from the few dynasties that players don't want to leave once they get there, rosters are going to be pretty transient in this era of what is essentially college free agency. It's going to be tough for most programs to maintain any kind of consistency. With this latest round of departures we may have passed Texas A&M for the most guys leaving. We were at number 2. While there will be some attrition everywhere this is unusual to say the least. I feel like the house is not in order. The University of Florida is a destination school. We should be one of those dynasties. The fact that Dumb and Dumber have managed to take us from 4 National Championships in 3 years in the two premier sports 15 years ago to this is a failure of such epic proportions I really can't fathom it. We are not even fringe contenders for an SEC championship in football or basketball. Somehow we are turning into Vanderbilt without the academic standards. Smack dab in the middle of the best recruiting state in the country with a storied history and national brand. I don't think this can be fixed with Stricklin/Foley in the building. |
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Post by Mojave Gator on Dec 27, 2022 17:18:13 GMT -5
One article that I read (I found it on my phone, and haven't been able to find it online to link it) says that players are saying that guys are leaving because Mullen was easier on the players, especially the upperclassmen. They don't want the discipline - which was exactly my theory about why all of these players are hitting the portal. Napier is dead on when he says that there was a culture problem here when he arrived. That he has made significant progress in changing it in year one is far less certain.
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Post by tapsgator on Dec 28, 2022 0:21:56 GMT -5
One article that I read (I fond it on my phone, and haven't been able to find it online to link it) says that players are saying that guys are leaving because Mullen was easier on the players, especially the upperclassmen. They don't want the discipline - which was exactly my theory about why all of these players are hitting the portal. Napier is dead on when he says that there was a culture problem here when he arrived. That he has made significant progress in changing it in year one is far less certain. Completely agree. For the most part I agree about him being more disciplinarian, he certainly comes off that way, but, and this is a big but, these last couple were unexpected by everyone in the program it seems. Both the lineman, but especially white, were known as hard workers. White came in at 400+ and worked his ass off to get in shape and eventually start. He’s everything the media wants Desmond Watson to be. That’s not a kid like cox or some of the guys who left earlier in the cycle where they may have seen writing on the wall. That’s a high character kid and most likely team captain next year who is trying to play on Sundays. Reminds me a good bit of Diabete. It also bears mentioning that I’ve heard the talk of being a disciplinarian, but I also see people out of shape, a QB who didn’t necessarily regress but didn’t improve. A team that quit in the bowl game. A defense that routinely didn’t get lined up Pre-snap. And of course a backup QB who happens to be a pedophile. Nothing about this team reminded me of a Saban or Smart team other than the fact the we spend more on off field staff than anybody and some of the sound bites are familiar. Amongst the fan base including some of my friends there’s this “they’re leaving for NIL” company line, I haven’t seen anything to support that. I think they’re leaving because they feel they have a better shot at making the NFL playing for another staff. I read where “Braun went to arkansas an inferior SEC program.” No, just no, Pittman is the best line coach in the world and frankly arkansas is not inferior to UF right now. Painful truth is painful. Right now we’ve lost @ 35-40 kids and have brought in 22. None of them are upgrades from the guys they’re replacing. If that doesn’t improve it’s going to be a very long 2023. It needs to be a complete 180. Not graham mertz. Now we’ve got 2 graham mertzes on the roster. Jack Miller and Graham Mertz |
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Post by Mojave Gator on Dec 28, 2022 0:28:57 GMT -5
I'm not one to overreact to a single year, but that said, the early signs all seem to be headed in the wrong direction. The players who were brought in during recruiting seem to be of good caliber, there are just too few of them. I also don't hear a lot about the staff working the portal either. Unless you're going to take walk-ons from the student body, recruiting and the portal are pretty much the only ways to bring anyone into the program. If not those, then what?
I agree with your assessment that Napier is methodical and businesslike. I also agree that he can't take 4-5 years to show visible progress, because we are already behind Florida State, well behind Georgia, and Tennessee has already managed to break a 15-game losing streak to Alabama. South Carolina is also better than most expected. We are well on the way to being irrelevant in our own division, let alone the national scene and an afterthought in the minds of recruits.
I am having second thoughts about making the trip to Salt Lake for the season opener next season. The 2023 team could well be worse than 2022.
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Post by tapsgator on Dec 28, 2022 13:28:49 GMT -5
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