2023 Fall Camp Notes

[DRU2012]

Sigh...
In the "No News Is Good News" department, we get to the big "open scrimmage" here at the end of the 2nd week and what happens?
We lose one of our better defensive players, young Justus Boone, to a torn ACL in a non-contact injury AFTER THE PLAY--and he's out for the year.
GEEZ. We can't win for losing! We've got young talent over there to theoretically fill in the talent hole thus opened, but he is also a much loved and respected up and coming team leader; Now we likely have to wait a year to reap the benefits of his play on the field. However, I fully expect Billy and the staff to encourage, and Justus to thrive stepping into that leadership role as an ongoing MENTOR to those young players this season, to stay involved and continue his positive impact regardless of this setback.
Not surprisingly, Mertz is named QB-1by Coach Napier late in the day. Like a lot of Gators, I am steadily feeling better and better about this.
But we still need to see his (AND the offense's) actual execution and results in actual play to really judge.

 

[Escambia94]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1684287885971804161

 

[DRU2012]

Wasn't sure where to put this--but season not quite here, folks are yapping, and I HAD to put this down, AND put it somewhere!
Once upon a time I actually liked to listen to Paul Finebaum's comments on the SEC, but he wore thin that welcome some time ago, and NOW he has simply gone beyond the pale in my book.
I am NOT going to repeat his latest rantings, except to note that on both his own daily show AND elsewhere on ESPN's shows like "College Football Live" in the last day or two has been dismissing Billy Napier's ongoing stint thus far in Gainesville, AND actually laughing at Gator fans for supposedly showing more faith and patience in him than we did Dan Mullen.
I am not going to dignify Paul's hollow ignorance, finally and open revealing his anti-UF bias, by going into all the counterpoint to his recent attitude and statements. We gave Mullen a chance, believed in him--but he kept coming up short and betraying that confidence. By the end it was clear he just didn't much care all that much about BEING a Gator (PLUS, he was uninterested in recruiting--a deathknell for his regime and in the long run for our program if permitted to continue). To imply that WE were blind and that the real TRUTH was that Dan in fact left the program in fine shape, full of talent, and that it was a premature replacement in Coach Napier who couldn't do anything with it in his first season here, is just RIDICULOUS.
This was a total rebuild that Billy was brought in to effect--and anyone who understands college football and the Gator program in particular knew it. THAT'S why we are patient--and only young, naive, shallow and entitled-seeming "Fairweather Gator fans" will be singing his tune should we in fact lose half our games facing the consensus "toughest schedule in college football" this season.
Now, there's no doubt it is a rough road ahead, and I'm not ready to make any strident predictions that we are about to somehow "arrive a season or two EARLY"--But there's change in the air, you can FEEL it, and there's little doubt we are moving in the right direction...We can feel it down here where no one but longtime, die-hard Gators live and breath. I have a feeling we could rise up and bite, SURPRISE a few of those like Finebaum and many others who are making their living off of looking down on us.
But for now, best to just keep it among ourselves. Hang in there, brothers and sisters. Let 'em laugh. We gotta give Billy and his staff, along with all the talented young players who are building something special together in that N Fla heat even as we talk here, the time and experience they need to eventually sweep all the rest out of the way.