Five on the Spot: It’s becoming now or never for Napier

Please Read: Welcome to the new-look Inside the Gators

• Take Five Breakdown: Florida-No. 19 Miami Preview
• Running Visitor List for the UF-Miami Game
• 10 Observations: Florida Opening Day Depth Chart
• Predicting Who Plays: Seven signees most likely to avoid redshirt season
• Florida Football Preseason Superlatives
• Early Entry Review: Lagway embarks on promising future
• Redshirt Report: High football IQ will serve Kearney well
• Anonymous Player Q&A I: Thoughts on the state of Florida football
• O&B Board: Uninformed Thoughts on Florida’s NIL
• Under Napier, Florida has a clear recruiting footprint

Here are five Florida Gators who are in the spotlight, and on the spot, to perform this week against No. 19 Miami.

Billy Napier – Forget the argument that the first game doesn’t dictate the season-long outcome, because a loss here and Napier could be staring into the abyss. By any measure of on-field results, to be kind, he has had a rough first two years at Florida. He is 11-14 overall, 1-7 against Florida’s rivals, and 2-10 against ranked teams. He is facing a coach in Mario Cristobal who was hired at the same time, and both have had similar results. If he were to lose this game, considering next year’s schedule is every bit as brutal, you have to start seriously asking yourself if not now, when? Napier is on the spot because he needs this game to help change the narrative about Florida football in general, and his coaching ability in particular.

Graham Mertz – If you’re Mertz, this is the first of many lasts – including your last home opener, and your last chance to shine as a sixth-year veteran. By early Saturday evening, we’ll know if all the talk of confidence and an improved team is smoke and mirrors or going to be the bite behind the dog that barked all off-season. Though the term can have a negative connotation to some, last year he showed the ability to be a good game manager, who preferred to play it safe for the most part. This weekend he is on the spot to show the ability to be a game changer, and yes, that may mean taking some chances.

Asa Turner – Another veteran who transferred in, this time on the defensive side of the ball, his presence and leadership have allowed other players like Jordan Castell and Jason Marshall Jr. to play more freely and be more aggressive. Speaking of aggressive, Turner has the ability to bring the Swamp to its collective feet with a big hit – which can change a game, and momentum. We’ll see how that translates when going against an underrated Miami passing attack this weekend, because sometimes setting up for that big hit can cause an explosive play for the offense instead.

Justus Boone – They didn’t give him the #1 jersey for no reason. They believe and trust in his ability and mentality to lead the way and be a vocal presence on a defense that badly lacked that ingredient last season. As Princely Umanmielen found out last year, with that number comes a certain level of expectations. The game could come down to a key hit in the backfield, or a sack to make the difference between winning and losing. The player in the #1 jersey is on the spot, and expected to be the one leading that charge.

Kamryn Waites – When this was first written, there was another player in this position, but now with Waites being elevated to starting right tackle, he needs to be included. Last year Miami moved Rueben Bain Jr. up and down the defensive line looking for a favorable matchup. Given a choice this weekend, you would think that they are going to try to target Waites first to see if he is up to the challenge of blocking Bain. Last year, in just his second start outside, Waites looked good taking on Jared Verse, Patrick Payton, and Joshua Farmer at various times. If UF can get similar results from him on Saturday in the Swamp, they might walk away with an upset win.

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