GAINESVILLE – They may not seem like much to the Florida alligators and its nine-figure athletic budget.
Another employee in Billy Napier’s Army. Other equipment.
But if Napier’s team has a chance to make the bowl and return to respectability, the additions could end up being two of the most important investments UF has made in recent years.
The employee is Joe Houston, whose title (Senior GameChanger Analyst) doesn’t explain his role (helping on special teams). The equipment is a launching pad, which does something kindergarteners can do (count to 10). You can find one online for less than $500.
Together, they are among the solutions to the special teams gaffes that embarrassed the program last fall and helped put Napier’s job security in question when his third preseason camp opens Wednesday.
To be clear, special teams weren’t the Gators’ biggest problem in last season’s 5-7 disappointment. Statistically, they were a strong point. ESPN SP+ Analysis ranked the Florida unit ninth nationally. The Gators allowed just 15.1 yards per kickoff return – their best performance since 1985 – and led the conference in net punting. Only four SEC teams have blocked more punts/kicks than the Gators (two).
Now imagine how good the Gators would be if they put 11 players on the field at a time – something he failed to do in at least four games last season.
Napier euphemistically called them “organizational issues.” You might call them mistakes (or worse). Regardless, they were expensive for reasons beyond public ridicule.
In Utah, Florida was penalized for having two players wear number 3 during a punt return. It was the difference between getting the ball back after a big third-down stop and losing 14-3.
Against Arkansas, confusion over whether the punt team or the field goal team should go in led to a penalty and a missed kick. O The Gators lost in overtime.
Erase any of the mistakes and maybe Florida would qualify for a bowl game. At the very least, the external perception of internal disorder would not be as strong.
Napier, to his credit, addressed the issue.
“We needed another layer of knowledge in the special teams area,” Napier said Tuesday.
He added one in Houston. Napier hired him for his team in Louisiana, but he lasted one day before Bill Belichick’s Patriots hunted him down. Napier got him back this offseason.
Napier praised Houston’s attention to detail in things like timing hang times. Houston brought up another example on Tuesday: the launch pad. Think of it as a less colorful Twister mat with 10 circles for players to stand on (the kicker/punter doesn’t need one).
“It’s essentially a side meeting,” Houston said.
The Gators didn’t use any last year. It showed.
Houston will also be able to reduce miscommunication in another way, thanks to a recent NCAA rules change. Last year, analysts like Houston and GameChanger coordinator Chris Couch could coach coaches but not players. That distinction added a layer of complexity to, say, getting the correct unit on the field after a third-down stop — especially considering the Gators didn’t have a dedicated special teams assistant last fall.
Because the NCAA lifted its analyst rule in JuneHouston and Couch can work directly with the players.
“Now, the fact that these guys take their gloves off and are on the grass and can give instructions on the field, I think that’s going to be a huge advantage for us,” Napier said.
Even a small advantage is important. The Gators were competitive in last four games of last season (all losses) and spent this offseason emphasizing how close they were. The margin for error will also be small this year, against the toughest schedule in the country.
“Football is a game of humans who make mistakes, right?” Houston said. “We just try to limit them as coaches.”
What if Houston succeeds? Then he and his 10-circle bloc could lead Florida back to respectability.
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