It’s become painfully obvious now that Florida’s offense simply isn’t going to get the job done as long as Billy Napier is calling the plays. And that’s not the worst thing in the world, and there’s no shame in that! Most head coaches actually don’t call plays in today’s college football.
Even after the win over Vanderbilt, it’s past the point of rational debate that Billy Napier needs to depart from that small list of head coaches who do call his team’s plays. Florida’s offense is appallingly slow, the pre-snap motion on every play doesn’t do the slightest bit to throw off a defense, and- whether you want to blame the offensive line, Graham Mertz, or Napier for this- there is virtually zero downfield passing threat in this offense. On top of all of that, the play-calls that Napier orders his offense to run are simply not beneficial, often failing to account for either a personnel advantage or the down-and-distance situation properly.
That all sets up a high-stakes coaching search this offseason, as Napier will need a new name to run his offense. Who, exactly, that is? Well, that depends on what Napier wants to do- does he want an air-raid passing attack, a spread-option, or something entirely new altogether?
With all that said, here are my top five choices for Billy Napier to hire as Florida’s next offensive coordinator in 2024.
1: Ryan Grubb
Current position: OC, Washington Huskies (since 2022)
Current Salary: $2 million
The skinny: Grubb is one of the true rising stars in the college football world of coaches, but that sentence comes attached with a caveat: almost all of it has been spent alongside Kalen DeBoer. That means, among other things, that Billy Napier would have work to do in order to pry him away from Washington, and it would come at a hefty price (Grubb currently makes $2 million a year). But the upside would be huge. As demonstrated with Michael Penix at the controls, his offense can move the football. Washington led the nation in 2022 in passing yards per game, first downs per game and third down percentage, and Penix needed just five games to throw for 2,000 yards on the nose in 2023. The Huskies also finished second in total offense and seventh in scoring offense in 2022.
What would his offense look like? Giving Grubb the keys to the Florida offense would mean unleashing a dynamic two-tiered passing attack that utilizes a strong running game- or at least the threat of it- to set up the pass. There was an excellent deep-dive piece this past offseason that demonstrated some of the pass concepts the Huskies ran out of that devastatingly effective play-action. If Florida’s offensive line could just help showcase Trevor Etienne enough that it forces defense to crowd the box, DJ Lagway could suddenly yank the ball away from him and find single coverage down the field on speedsters like Eugene Wilson, Andy Jean, and Aidan Mizell.
Would he come to Florida? Maybe, but he wouldn’t come cheap. So, if you’re a Gator booster and want to see this offense improve, start saving money for the Billy Napier OC Fund. Florida would have to improve upon his $2 million salary- for perspective, defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong makes $1.1 million- and even then, there would be the additional hurdle of getting him to abandon DeBoer, with whom he’s worked every year since 2007. A sweet enough compensation package and the allure of working in the SEC could do the trick, but the boosters had better prepare to really dig deep into their pockets for this one.
2: Jeff Lebby
Current position: OC, Oklahoma Sooners (since 2022)
Current salary: $1.9 million
The skinny: Lebby’s offense has its roots in the Art Briles, mid-2010’s, RG3/Bryce Petty led Baylor attack. And it’s everything that Napier’s offense is not. Everything Lebby does is predicated on tempo, and it’s go, go, go, full speed ahead with a premium placed on running the defense ragged. That all makes Lebby a painfully obvious candidate for Billy Napier to at least consider, given a lack of urgency has been one of the things killing his Florida offense in 2023. And the results at Oklahoma back it up. The Sooners finished 13th in the nation in total offense in 2022, and midway through the 2023 season rank #9 with an astounding 510 yards per game.
What would his offense look like? In a word: fast. In two words: really fast. The Sooners aren’t afraid to utilize tight ends and lean on a strong running game between the tackles, which means that Lebby- noted as a QB guru- doesn’t really care what kind of personnel he gets to work with. He’ll take advantage of the strengths his team has, whatever they are, and he’ll hustle them to the line so they can run more plays. Obviously, having a dynamic QB like DJ Lagway will help open up a downfield passing attack, but while Lagway learns the ropes of SEC football, Florida will have a stout ground attack for Lebby to ride while Lagway gets his sea legs working the slant and flare routes. Once Lagway warms up to the task, though, you can bet that the downfield shots are coming- and they’re coming in bunches.
Would he come to Florida? He’s an Oklahoma man through and through and he gets paid $1.9 million a year. This, to be very clear, is not going to be an easy sell. But his up-tempo offense gives him a chance to completely flip the Florida offensive identity on its head and would show the initiative needed for some school to one day name him their head coach- which is every assistant’s dream. This also means that if he’s successful, he wouldn’t stay for more than a year or two. It’s still going to be a difficult task to lure him away from his alma mater even with a salary increase, but if Billy Napier wants to really prove his worth as a recruiter and reverse the Gators’ stigma of stagnation with one single hire, this is the guy you go for.
3: Jeff Scott
Most recent positions: HC, South Florida Bulls (2020-22); OC, Clemson Tigers (2015-19)
Current salary: N/A (unemployed)
The skinny: if there’s such a thing as the betting favorite to be Florida’s next offensive coordinator, it’s probably Jeff Scott. While Billy Napier going and hiring a friend defeats the entire purpose of handing off the micro-duties of the offense, Scott does check the other boxes: he’s known as a great recruiter, he’s got relationships in Florida, and he coached DeShaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence at Clemson and earned a pair of national championship rings in the process. His offensive philosophy isn’t that markedly different than Napier’s, although he does like to dial up deep shots- and recruits as such. Scott wouldn’t be my first choice, but he’s the safe choice (especially given that he’s currently unemployed) and would be a perfectly acceptable hire.
What would his offense look like? His background working with wide receivers translates to a passion for sending an array of receivers down the field and forcing defenses to cover every square inch of the field. Scott isn’t afraid to order a QB draw or power run here and there if his QB is built for it, and he’s perfectly content to run the ball enough to force defenses to respect it, but priority number one of a Jeff Scott offense is challenging defenses with a vertical passing game. That means he’ll be working extensively with DJ Lagway to develop his deep ball, and he won’t wait to take advantage of playmakers like Eugene Wilson, Aidan Mizell and Andy Jean right away. You’ll still see some of the pre-snap motion and misdirection that Napier is slowly wearing out, but the receivers’ routes will have more purpose and if the quarterback can’t reliably hit the deep ball, he’ll be replaced.
Would he come to Florida? The only reason the answer to this hypothetical would be no would be because he wants to return to Clemson. And that, to be clear, is a solid reason. Scott worked with Dabo Swinney for more than a decade in a variety of roles, and still loves the Clemson community. But Scott’s deep ties to the state of Florida make him an obvious choice here, and his current employment means that there won’t be a buyout to have to negotiate with another school. If Billy Napier puts his recruiting hat on and zeroes in on Jeff Scott, it’s hard to imagine him losing this battle even with Scott’s ties to Clemson.
4: Warren Ruggiero
Current position: OC, Wake Forest Demon Deacons (since 2014)
Current salary: $738K (as of 2022)
The skinny: How could somebody who guided Wake Forest, of all programs, to a top-30 offense nationally six years in a row not be up for consideration here? Ruggiero, after all, is the guy who identified, recruited, and developed Jamie Newman and Sam Hartman in Winston-Salem, and he orchestrated the top-ten offense nationally that got Wake to the ACC Title Game in 2021. Dealing with the obvious restrictions placed upon Wake Forest by the college football world has kept us all from seeing what he could do with more talent, but a nice offensive system that utilizes the whole field yields promise for what he could do in Gainesville.
What would his offense look like? Get ready to see a lot of run-pass option play-calls. Which is great because of DJ Lagway’s mobility, as it gives his defense every square inch of turf to have to worry about. But it’s more than just that RPO threat. My favorite thing about watching Ruggiero’s offense is that the Demon Deacons can quickly change speeds on a defense. If they need to score quick, they’ll hustle to the line and rip off three plays in forty seconds. If they want to keep a defense on the field, they’re happy to bleed all forty seconds off the play clock before the next snap. It’s that ability to change tempo like a chameleon that has me so intrigued by Ruggiero, and he certainly would have a grand old time calling plays with the weapons he’d have at his disposal in Gainesville.
Would he come to Florida? Probably. Going from Wake Forest to Florida is a massive step up in the college football world in terms of prestige and attention. Plus, Florida could likely double his salary if they had to in order to poach him. The other thing working in Florida’s favor with Ruggiero is that he’s getting up there in age. At 57, his window to be a head coach might have run out already, but that doesn’t mean he’s done climbing up the ladder. Florida could give him a solid pay increase, and if he works to, he could stay in Gainesville a long time.
5: Ben Arbuckle
Current position: OC, Washington State Cougars
Current salary: not released
The skinny: Want to find your offensive equivalent of Austin Armstrong, Billy Napier? Here’s your guy. A rapidly-ascending offensive guru at age 27, Arbuckle has wasted no time guiding Wazzu to the #6 offense in the nation with a whopping 533.8 yards per game midway through his first season in Pullman. Engineering a modernized-for-the-2020’s version of the Air Raid, he’s already wrung some improvement out of QB Cameron Ward, who’s not only thrown for 1,390 yards in four games but hasn’t turned the ball over yet. With the Pac-12 crumbling and head coach Jake Dickert rumored to be a favorite for the Michigan State job, Arbuckle would be wise to get out before the program completely collapses and gets buried forever in the latest wave of conference realignment.
What would his offense look like? It goes against every fiber of Napier’s being, and he probably wouldn’t like this, but if he wants to better his program, he’ll have to take a look here. Washington State utilizes a machine gun-style offense that sends waves of receivers in every direction and forces Cover 2 on every snap. In fact, Wazzu has thrown the ball just under 61% of the snaps so far this year. But that’s not to say Arbuckle doesn’t utilize a running game, either. In his previous stop at Western Kentucky, the Hilltoppers combined to rush for over 2,000 yards in his final season- in which WKU also finished with the #6 total offense in the country. With Mizell, Jean, and Wilson to be joined by a new wave of speedy receivers in Jerrae Hawkins and TJ Abrams, this offense could be deadly if the offensive line improves.
Would he come to Florida? Well, he’s sure not staying in Pullman. The Pac-12’s impending implosion will make sure of that. The question is whether or not he follows Dickert somewhere else, and then it becomes a question of if he’d be willing to install his offensive system in Gainesville from the ground up. It’s not like Washington State, which had long utilized a pass-first offensive approach; he’d have to completely overhaul the Gators’ offensive identity. But he’s a brilliant young mind who won’t be oblivious to the fact that turning around the offensive fortunes- and look- of a program as prestigious as Florida- would launch his stock into the stratosphere, positioning him nicely for the head coaching gig of his choice.
