Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier has confirmed he will continue as the team’s offensive play-caller for the 2025 season, his fourth year in Gainesville.
In a recent episode of the Gators Breakdown podcast, Napier explained his decision to maintain play-calling duties. “It helps us from an identity standpoint as a team. I think you’re a part of the inner workings from an installation script standpoint and then how game day goes,” he said.
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The head coach praised his offensive staff, particularly highlighting the increased role of Russ Callaway, who was promoted to co-offensive coordinator. “I was really pleased with Russ Callaway and the more responsibility that he took on this year from a leadership standpoint,” Napier noted. “Russ did a great job running the unit meetings, he did a good job organizing the staff.”
The coaching structure has allowed Napier to delegate certain responsibilities. “Some of those things as a head coach, the things maybe I used to do, I thought those guys did a great job taking some of that off my plate,” he explained. He specifically mentioned the contributions of Ryan O’Hara as quarterback coach and John Donovan’s work on situational football.
Despite quarterback injuries last season, Napier believes the team finished strong: “I think we played winning football down the stretch. I think we played complimentary football and we found ways to win. And I would argue that at the end of the year, we were one of the teams that nobody would want to play.”
Looking ahead, Napier expressed optimism about the team’s potential. “We’ve added some playmakers for DJ, we’ve got a veteran offensive line group that’s coming back. We do have running back production, tight end production and I think Tre Wilson coming back paired with some of these young players at receiver, J. Mike (Sturdivant), we got a chance to be the best we’ve been in a long time here.”
In a recent press conference, Napier further defended his decision to maintain play-calling duties. “It’s what got me here,” he stated. “It’s how I became the head coach. It’s what’s helped us make progress and win in the past. I’m confident it will help us do that in the future.”
While additional changes may occur, including a potential promotion for Callaway, Napier’s role as play-caller will remain unchanged. Napier also shared his measured approach to the future, saying “I think one cycle at a time. I think what I tried to do is evaluate things as objectively as I can and think about last year. As the season went there, I feel like we were starting to look the way we wanted it to look. You’re never going to make everybody happy. That’s part of leadership. I would say we’ll continue to make decisions that reflect the best interest of the team and try to put the team in position to win.”
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