Florida football coach Billy Napier spent fall camp touting the experience on UF's roster, which includes 14 returning starters on offense and defense and 41.000 snaps of playing time.
"Our roster has stabilized," Napier said. "We've got incredible leadership and accountability at the player level."
Will a year older mean a year better? That's the question as the Florida Gators begin a brutal schedule on Aug. 31 at The Swamp against No. 19 Miami (3:30 p.m., ABC). It's the first of eight preseason US LBM Top 25 ranked teams that UF will face, which includes five straight teams ranked in the top 12 to close the regular season.
The 2024 season will serve as a testament to how well Napier and his staff can develop players on his roster. Of scholarship players, 28 have played at least one season under Napier, while 24 have stayed for two or more seasons.
Napier is hopeful the lessons players learned from a rough 11-14 stretch since he took over as coach in 2022 will result in better execution on the field.
"We have more players on this team that have been between the lines; they played in the critical moments," Napier said. "They know how to prepare Sunday to Saturday to get ready for a game; and they won't be as anxious or uncertain about what it really will be like when they get out there.
"Don't get me wrong, we have a handful of those that will have to contribute to our team. But I do think that we'll be able to grow and develop those guys as the season goes."
Florida football gaining strength, speed under new coach Tyler Miles
Florida's offseason strength and conditioning program was in flux when newly hired Craig Fitzgerald left for Boston College in early February to join his close friend, new Boston College coach Bill O'Brien.
Enter Tyler Miles, who was promoted to the role after working last season under former strength coach Mark Hocke. Miles, who grew up throwing bales of hay at his family's farm in rural Kansas, brought a blue-collar approach to the weight room that yielded results for Florida players.
"The way he’s pushed us through this summer, through this offseason and the role he took, he understood the assignment, and he went about it," Florida defensive lineman Tyreak Sapp said. "One thing he made sure to tell us was that he’s going to hold us to the standard whether we like it or not."
A more physically mature team could result in a team better equipped to handle the rigors of the physical SEC. Florida missed 116 tackles last season, a miss rate (24.73 %) that ranked last in the SEC.
"We have multiple guys that run 23 (mph)," Florida linebacker Shemar James said. "We have a couple of guys that’s 230 pounds plus that can run 22 (mph), so that’s just a testament to our strength staff."
Two sophomores stood out in Florida football fall camp
Napier wasn't shy in playing true freshman last season. Of the 20 on his roster in 2023, 12 appeared in 10 or more games.
Two of those true freshmen are poised to make a jump in the 2024 season as sophomores — wide receiver Eugene Wilson III on offense and safety Jordan Castell on defense.
Castell has recorded two interceptions in two fall scrimmages this more and possesses the combination of size (6-foot-2, 200 pounds) and speed to handle all the duties in the back end of the defense. Castell started 11 of 12 games as a true freshman for the Gators last season, leading UF in tackles (60) with three pass breakups and an interception.
"He’s playing faster," Napier said. "He’s got better coverage of the system, he’s communicating better. You see him barking out calls, and I think he would probably tell you that the veteran safeties that we’ve added to the team have made him a better player ...
"Jordan is unique. He's 6-2, 205 pounds. He's got corner coverage ability. He's a bright player, too. I think it's been natural, that move for him. He’s got ball skills. He can make plays on the ball.”
The 5-foot-10, 183-pound Wilson continues to dazzle teammates with his speed and shiftiness after recording 61 catches for 538 yards and 6 TDs last season to earn All-SEC freshman honors. Wilson may be called upon to return punts this season in an effort to get the ball in his hands more and exploit his playmaking ability.
“He’s strong,” Florida quarterback Graham Mertz said. “You can see in the way he’s running routes, the way he’s finishing routes, attacking the ball.
“Tre’s a freak. He’s an absolute freak.”
Overall, Florida is banking on the talent of the previous two recruiting classes and transfer classes under Napier to result in progress in the win-loss ledger.
"We're 15 years removed from a championship, and we've got a group of fans that are hungry to get back," Napier said. "I think our team understands that. I think we accept that responsibility. I think ultimately that's part of the challenge."
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Will a year older mean a year better for Florida football in 2024?
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