GAINESVILLE — They might not seem like much to the Florida Gators and their nine-figure athletic budget.
One more staffer in Billy Napier’s army. Another piece of equipment.
But if Napier’s team has a chance of making it to a bowl and returning to respectability, the additions could end up as two of the most important investments UF has made in years.
The staffer is Joe Houston, whose title (senior GameChanger analyst) doesn’t explain his role (assisting on special teams). The equipment is a launch pad, which does something kindergarteners can do (count to 10). You can find one online for less than $500.
Together, they’re among the fixes to the special-teams gaffes that embarrassed the program last fall and helped put Napier’s job security in question as his third preseason camp opens Wednesday.
To be clear, special teams were not the Gators’ biggest problem in last season’s 5-7 disappointment. Statistically, they were a strength. ESPN’s SP+ analytics ranked Florida’s unit ninth nationally. The Gators allowed only 15.1 yards per kickoff return — their best performance since 1985 — and led the conference in net punting. Only four SEC teams blocked more punts/kicks than the Gators (two).
Now imagine how good the Gators would have been if they fielded 11 players each time — which they failed to do in at least four games last season.
Napier euphemistically called them “organizational issues.” You might call them blunders (or worse). Regardless, they were costly for reasons beyond public ridicule.
At Utah, Florida was penalized for having two players wear No. 3 during a punt return. It was the difference between getting the ball back after a big third-down stop and trailing 14-3.
Against Arkansas, confusion about whether the punt team or field goal team should enter led to a penalty and missed kick. The Gators lost in overtime.
Erase either mistake, and perhaps Florida would have qualified for a bowl game. At minimum, the external perception of internal disarray wouldn’t be so strong.
Napier, to his credit, addressed the problem.
“We needed another layer of expertise in the special teams area,” Napier said Tuesday.
He added one in Houston. Napier hired him to his staff at Louisiana, but he lasted one day before Bill Belichick’s Patriots poached him. Napier got him back this offseason.
Napier has praised Houston’s attention to detail with things like punting hang time. Houston brought up another example Tuesday: the launch pad. Think of it like a less colorful Twister mat with 10 circles for players to stand in (the kicker/punter doesn’t need one).
“It’s essentially a sideline huddle,” Houston said.
The Gators didn’t use one last year. It showed.
Houston will also be able to reduce miscommunications in another way thanks to a recent NCAA rule 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 did not have one dedicated special-teams assistant last fall.
Because the NCAA axed its analyst rule in June, Houston and Couch can work directly with players.
“Now the fact that those guys, the gloves come off and they’re on the grass and can give instruction on the field I think is going to be a huge advantage for us,” Napier said.
Even a small advantage matters. The Gators were competitive in last season’s final four games (all losses) and spent this offseason stressing how close they were. The margin for error will be small this year, too, against the nation’s toughest schedule.
“Football is a game played by humans that make mistakes, right?” Houston said. “We just try to limit them as a coach.”
And if Houston is successful? Then he and his 10-circle pad could launch Florida back to respectability.
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Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg, Fla.
