The State of Florida Gators Defense: "It's gotta be the coaches!"

Photo by Chris Spears

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning:

Two seasons ago, Billy Napier’s first year on the Florida job, the Gators finished 12th (of 14 teams) in the SEC in total defense (411 yards per game) and 129th out of 131 teams in getting off the field on third down. Patrick Toney was the defensive coordinator. Just a week or so ahead of spring practice for the 2023 season Toney left to coach the safeties in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals.

Within days after Toney’s departure, Napier hired Austin Armstrong as his DC. Armstrong spent 2022 as the DC at Southern Miss. He was set to coach linebackers for Nick Saban when he got the call from UF. The 2023 defense finished 11th in total defense in the SEC (382.3 yards per game), an improvement of 29 yards a game. The Gators finished sixth in the SEC in getting off the field on third down, 36th nationally, an improvement of 93 places in the rankings.

At the conclusion of the 2023 season, secondary coach Corey Raymond and D-line coach Sean Spencer were fired. When Mike Elko was hired as the head coach at Texas A&M he hired Spencer to coach his D-line and poached Jay Bateman from the Florida staff to be his defensive coordinator. Raymond was replaced by Will Harris from the NFL Los Angeles Chargers. Spencer was replaced by Tulane’s Gerald Chatman. Napier brought on Auburn DC Ron Roberts to replace Bateman, naming him co-coordinator with Armstrong. It was thought to be a brilliant move since Roberts was Armstrong’s mentor dating back to their days on Napier’s staff at Louisiana.

The collaboration of Armstrong and Roberts along with the new additions to the defensive staff has been about as close to a natural disaster as you can get. Florida’s defense currently ranks dead last in the SEC in total defense (425.5 yards per game; 112th nationally), dead last in third down defense (123rd nationally), 14th in rushing defense (188.75 yards per game; 108th nationally); 14th in pass defense (236.8 yards per game; 92nd nationally) and dead last in long plays from scrimmage (59; 108th nationally).

It doesn’t take a rocket surgeon or brain scientist to figure out that the new defensive staff isn’t working out. Would Napier have been better off leaving Armstrong in charge of the defense and passing on Roberts? In an effort to shake things up Saturday against Mississippi State, Napier sent Roberts to the booth to give a better perspective on making the defense work better. The result was a team that can’t run the ball went off for 240 yards on the ground, 480 yards overall, and 90 offensive snaps.

It's way too easy to point fingers at the players. The Florida defense has been outplayed three of four games this year, but nearly every player on the defensive roster was recruited by teams that grace the top 25 rankings and other teams without such a dismal outlook as the Gators.

So what is it?

When Michael Jordan was just a couple of years in the NBA, Nike enlisted Spike Lee to do a series of commercials promoting Jordan that coined the phrase, “It’s gotta be the shoes!”

Looking at the Florida defense, the only conclusion we can make right now is, “It’s gotta be the coaches!”

TEXAS REMAINS NO. 1 IN AP POLL

Associated Press top 25: 1. Texas 4-0; 2. Georgia 3-0; 3. Ohio State 3-0; 4. Alabama 3-0; 5. Tennessee 4-0; 6. Ole Miss 4-0; 7. Miami 4-0; 8. Oregon 3-0; 9. Penn State 3-0; 10. Utah 4-0; 11. Missouri 4-0; 12. Michigan 3-1; 13. Southern California 2-1; 14. LSU 3-1; 15. Louisville 3-0; 16. Notre Dane 3-1; 17. Clemson 2-1; 18. Iowa State 3-0; 19. Illinois 4-0; 20. Oklahoma State 3-1; 21. Oklahoma 3-1; 22. BYU 4-0; 23. Kansas State 3-1; 24. Texas A&M 3-1; 25. Boise State 2-1

AFCA Coaches top 25: 1. Georgia 3-0; 2. Texas 4-0; 3. Ohio State 3-0; 4. Alabama 3-0; 5. Ole Miss 4-0; 6. Tennessee 4-0; 7. Oregon 3-0; 8. Penn State 3-0; 9. Miami 4-0; 10. Utah 4-0; 11. Missouri 4-0; 12. Michigan 3-1; 13. LSU 3-1; 14. Notre Dame 3-1; 15. Clemson 2-1; 16. Southern California 2-1; 17. Louisville 3-0; 18. Oklahoma 3-1; 19. Iowa State 3-0; 20. Oklahoma State 3-1; 21. Illinois 4-0; 22. BYU 4-0; 23. UNLV 3-0; 24. Texas A&M 3-1; 25. Kansas State 3-1

SEC FOOTBALL

No. 4 Alabama (3-0, 0-0 SEC): Freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams is the field stretcher for Bama. In three games he has 10 catches for 285 yards and four touchdowns. His touchdown catches are for 31, 43, 84 and 55 yards. Next Saturday: No. 2 Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC)

Arkansas (3-1, 1-0 SEC): Defense saved the day for the Razorbacks in their win over Auburn. Arkansas intercepted four passes and recovered a fumble. Next Saturday: No. 24 Texas A&M (3-1, 1-0 SEC) at Arlington, TX

Auburn (2-2, 0-1 SEC): The Tigers thought they had solved the QB problem with Hank Brown, but after he threw three interceptions against Arkansas, Payton Thorne was back under center. Thorne threw for 213 yards and two TDs in relief, but he also threw a pick. Next Saturday: No. 21 Oklahoma (3-1, 0-1 SEC)

No. 2 Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC): During the off week, left guard Tate Ratledge had tightrope surgery on his ankle. Ratledge is also dealing with a sprained MCL. Quarterback Carson Beck has a AC joint injury. Next Saturday: at No. 4 Alabama (3-0, 0-0 SEC)

Kentucky (2-2, 0-2 SEC): In the 41-6 win over Ohio, the Wildcats put up 488 yards of offense. Quarterback Brock Vandagriff threw for 237 yards, his best game of the season. Next Saturday: at Ole Miss (4-0, 0-0 SEC)

No. 14 LSU (3-1, 1-0 SEC): LSU’s best defensive player, linebacker Harold Perkins, will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL suffered in the win over UCLA … The Tigers have a dismal running game, averaging 103.75 yards per game, dead last in the SEC and 112th nationally. QB Garrett Nussmeier has thrown for 1,247 yards and 13 touchdowns. Next Saturday: South Alabama (2-2)

Mississippi State (1-3, 0-1 SEC): Quarterback Blake Shapen’s season is over after suffering a separated shoulder against the Gators. His replacement will be freshman Michael Van Buren, who completed 7-13 passes for 100 yards after Shapen left the game against Florida. Next Saturday: at No. 1 Texas (4-0, 0-0 SEC)

No. 11 Missouri (4-0, 1-0 SEC): Missouri fell out of the top ten in both the AP and Coaches polls after being taken to double overtime by Vanderbilt. Placekicker Blake Craig won the game with a 37-yard field goal, atoning for three misses during regulation. Next Saturday: Open

No. 21 Oklahoma (3-1, 0-1 SEC): Although the Sooners lost to Tennessee, 25-15, they did slow down the vaunted UT offense that came into the game averaging 639 yards and 69 points a game. Against OU, Tennessee managed only 345 yards. Next Saturday: at Auburn (2-2, 0-1 SEC)

No. 6 Ole Miss (4-0, 0-0 SEC): The Rebels have gained at least 607 yards in all four games. Ole Miss leads the nation in total offense and scoring at 670 yards and 55 points per game … Wide receiver Tre Harris has already caught 38 passes for 628 yards and four touchdowns. Next Saturday: Kentucky (2-2, 0-2 SEC)

South Carolina (3-1, 1-1 SEC): With LaNorris Sellers and Raheim Sanders sidelined Saturday, backup QB Robby Ashford stepped up, throwing for 243 yards and two touchdowns while running for an additional 133 and a TD in the easy win over Akron. Next Saturday: Open

No. 6 Tennessee (4-0, 1-0 SEC): When the offense sputtered against Oklahoma, the defense stepped it up. The Vols, who lead the nation in total defense, gave up just 222 yards, only 36 on the ground in 34 carries. The Vols had 11 tackles for loss including three sacks for -11 yards. Next Saturday: Open

No. 1 Texas (4-0, 0-0 SEC): Although all eyes were on Arch Manning, making his first collegiate start against Louisiana-Monroe, it was the Texas defense that was the real story. The Longhorns allowed 57 rushing yards, 54 passing yards, an average of 2.22 yards per snap. The Longhorns rank fifth nationally in total defense, giving up 211.8 yards per game. Next Saturday: Mississippi State (1-3, 0-1 SEC)

No. 24 Texas A&M (3-1, 1-0 SEC): The Aggies got a pair of fourth quarter field goals by Randy Bond to eke out a 26-23 win over Bowling Green … Conner Weigman sat out his second straight game as redshirt freshman Marcel Reed threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns while running for an additional 91. Next Saturday: Arkansas (3-1, 1-0 SEC) at Arlington, TX

Vanderbilt (2-2, 0-1 SEC): Vanderbilt took Missouri to double overtime before falling, 30-27. Quarterback Diego Pavia passed for 178 yards and two touchdowns while running for 84. Through four games, Pavia has thrown for 721 yards and four TDs without a pick while running for an additional 279 and two more TDs. Next Saturday: Open

AROUND THE STATE

Florida Atlantic (1-3, 0-1 American): The Owls struggled in the passing game in their loss to UConn, generating only 54 yards. Next Saturday: Wagner (2-2)

Florida International (1-3, 0-0 Conference USA): The Panthers lost a shootout to D1AA Monmouth, 45-42. Next Saturday: Louisiana Tech (1-2, 0-0 Conference USA)

Florida State (1-3, 1-2 ACC): Although FSU got its first win of the season, the Seminoles failed to gain at least 300 yards of offense for the fourth consecutive game. FSU’s ground game is managing a pathetic 65.75 yards per game. Next Saturday: at SMU (3-1, 0-0 ACC)

No. 7 Miami (4-0, 0-0 ACC): The Hurricanes rank No. 2 nationally in total offense (605 yards per game) and 10th in total defense (232.8 yards per game). Quarterback Cam Ward has thrown for 14 touchdowns while averaging 359.8 passing yards per game. Next Friday: Virginia Tech (2-2, 0-0 ACC)

South Florida (2-2, 0-0 American): The Bulls threw two interceptions and gave up four sacks in their loss to Miami. Miami outscored the Bulls, 28-0, in the second half. Next Saturday: at Tulane (2-2, 0-0 American)

UCF (3-0, 1-0 Big 12): The Knights lead the nation in rushing (375.67 yards per game), led by RJ Harvey, who has scored eight TDs on the ground while averaging 149.33 yards (7.59 per carry) per game. Overall, UCF is third nationally in total offense (570.67 per game. Next Saturday: Colorado (3-1, 1-0 Big 12)

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: On ESPN’s “Game Day” Saturday, Nick Saban was asked what’s wrong with Florida. He answered, “I think maybe the problem isn’t the coaches.They’ve been through four coaches since [Steve] Spurrier and Urban Meyer, who both created a tremendous culture of winning there. Sometimes the fanbase can just think ‘we can just show up and expect to win’ and not make the commitment to the program that you need to make to be able to continue to make the changes and the investments you need to make to keep up with changing times.

“Things change. They should’ve taken advantage of building better facilities when Urban Meyer was there. What’s their [NIL] collective been like? How have they adapted to this new model of college football. So it’s not just the coaches. When you’ve been through four coaches and you haven’t had success, there is something else that people should be looking at.”

Saban is right. While Florida hasn’t been able to find its next great coach since Meyer retired after the 2010 season, there is more to UF’s issues than simply the coaches. In a column at On3 last week, national writer Jesse Simonton opined, “If Florida is serious about wanting to produce a championship program again, they have to make serious changes above simply who is just roaming the sidelines. It’s time to move on to a new era. A clean slate.”

Later in the same column, Simonton wrote, “[Scott] Stricklin shouldn’t be allowed to hire a third football coach, but it’s not just him. The entire UAA needs a housecleaning.”

When Tennessee hired Danny White as its athletic director, the first thing he did was clean house in the administration, rooting out all the Phil Fulmer loyalists and giving the entire athletic program the once-over. Three years later, the Vols finished fourth, one spot ahead of Florida in the Director’s Cup standings.

That is something to think about long and hard.