It’s hard to know exactly what the expectation should be for coach Billy Napier in his first season at UF in 2022. He inherits a team that went 6-7 last year and has some major recruiting deficiencies that he’s only just begun to rectify.
At the same time, the Gators had a losing record in 2017, as well, before former coach Dan Mullen took over, and the culture change and excitement in the building was enough for Florida to win 10 games in Mullen’s first season.
Expecting a similar jump for Napier may be unfair, given he takes over arguably a worse situation talent-wise than Mullen did, but fans also expect to see at least some signs of progress in Year 1.
The preseason SP+ rankings from ESPN’s Bill Connelly see UF having a bounce-back season as it ranks 18th in the projections heading into 2022. According to Connelly, these projections take into account returning production, recent recruiting and recent history.
Napier is an offensive mind and Florida’s offense was overall solid last season despite some issues at the quarterback spot, and as a result, the unit is expected to be much better than the defense. Offensively, the team ranks 13th in the preseason projections but just 39th on defense, where it struggled a lot in 2021 and has to replace a number of outgoing starters.
The Gators will hope these predictions hold true and the team is at least competitive against SEC competition next year after a 2-6 finish in conference play.
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