Napier promotes Russ Callaway to offensive coordinator
Per Pete Thamel of ESPN, Billy Napier is promoting tight ends coach/co-offensive coordinator Russ Callaway to offensive coordinator. Callaway has been with the Florida program since 2022. He has earned a promotion and a raise after each season.
Callaway, the son of Neil Callaway, who played collegiately for Bear Bryant at Alabama and who earned a reputation as one of the best offensive line coaches in the country, played quarterback at Valdosta State for Chris Hatcher. Hatcher named Callaway, then 28 years old, as his offensive coordinator in 2016, a position he held for four years. In 2018, Callaway called the plays for a prolific Samford passing attack that averaged a D1AA-leading 392.7 yards per game and 519 yards of total offense.
Following the years at Samford, Callaway worked as an analyst at LSU in 2020 and for the New York Giants as an offensive assistant in 2021.
The promotion won’t entail play-calling duties. Napier isn’t going to give up that role, but Callaway is expected to have a bigger role in developing the game plan, plus he will be Napier’s eyes and ears in the booth on game days.
Russ Callaway has a very bright football mind. He’s been around the game all his life and he’s been building a nice pedigree from playing and working for Hatcher to working two years as an analyst for Nick Saban at Alabama (2010-11) to his increased role with the Gators.
During the 2024 season when the Gators posted their first winning season since 2020, Callaway called the plays for the scout team offense while working with the UF tight ends who accumulated 44 receptions for 445 yards and five touchdowns.
When spring practice begins in March, Callaway will probably have an increased work load on the field. He is likely to call a lot of plays in scrimmages for what is expected to be one of the more prolific offenses in the country. The Gators return of five starters on the O-line, one of the better running backs rooms in the country, outstanding wide receivers and stud sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway. Florida returns tight ends Hayden Hansen (15-207, 1 TD) and Tony Livingston (11-109, 2 TDs) plus redshirt freshman Amir Jackson and early-enrollee freshmen Micah Jones and Cameron Kossmann. Depending on post-spring attrition, Napier might look for another experienced tight end with size in the transfer portal.
am glad to see Billy atleast cede some control - ues he is still going to call the plays but maybe Calloway will have enough input for us to improve our route trees and maybe even get rid of the bunch formation and our predictability