The Florida Gators have been facing close losses the past two seasons, and head coach Billy Napier has been under pressure since the start of 2024 to overcome this situation. Given his efforts to reshape the team by doing all the things he can do, it’s no wonder if Florida emerges in a new form this season that nobody has seen before. For working hard, Napier believes in an old saying: “It‘s not about the size of the gator in the fight, but it’s about the size of the battle in the gator.” He has transformed the Florida Gators by making some changes, inviting new coaches, and enrolling new players while keeping the needs of a modern-day player in mind ahead of the 2024 season. With that in mind, a question arises: What changes has Napier made to the Florida Gators that excite him about the 2024 season?

Not so long ago, in January, the head coach recalls he was reminding his players about the passing days; he encouraged them to work hard and believe in the philosophy that “champions do extra.” On a nice Saturday, he saw 70 guys in the weight room who were doing extra work. Apart from that, the team is greatly benefiting from Graham Mertz’s decision to return and play quarterback for the Florida Gators. “Graham has character; he’s a worker. He’s one of the more fun players to coach I’ve had in my career,” said Napier while praising him. If you’re unaware, Graham Mertz has a career record of 43 starts, 8300 yards, and 58 touchdowns at Overland Park, Kansas.

Moreover, they have Montrell Johnson, a senior running back from New Orleans who transferred from the University of Louisiana. He’ll soon be graduating from UF. Given his practice games, everyone is quite confident about his play in the 2024 season, and the staff even calls him loyal from the day he joined them and gives examples of his recruiting days on FaceTime with him and his mom during COVID. Johnson is the player the head coach wants everyone to be like on his team. Added to that, there is Shemar James, a Florida linebacker who hails from Mobile, Alabama, who was in the first recruiting class of the Gators. As soon as he joined the team, his performance during his freshman year impressed everyone. Besides that, let’s talk about Florida’s coaching staff.

Florida Gators’ coaching staff for the 2024 season

Billy Napier has brought in some talented staff for the 2024 season to sharpen his team. The new coaches, such as Ron Roberts, Gerald Chatman, Will Harris, John Decoster, Joe Houston, Taylor Miles, Jake Sankal, and Mark Robinson, have been making efforts for the team’s success. With all these things combined, they have added 35 new players to their team, and 25 to 30 percent of the roster consists of new members. So it’s a whole new era for the Florida Gators, and it’s not the same team they had last year.

The Florida Gators have managed to record 11-14 with head coach Billy Napier over the past two seasons, with a 6-7 record in the 2022 season, while in 2023, the Gators faced a disappointing 5-7 season record. For the 2024 season, analysts are expecting the Florida Gators to win a total of 6.2, but with players like Graham Mertz on the team and significant majors taken by the team to overcome their weaknesses, Florida has a chance to see its glorious days again in college football. What are your thoughts on it? Any guesses about who’ll win the 2024 season?