Stop pretending the Florida Gators coaching staff evaluation this spring is about wins and losses. The real question is whether the staff can fix a passing game that ranked 78th nationally in success rate in 2025. That number is unacceptable for a program with Florida's resources.
The head coach made a decision to go with a new QB after Lagway hit the portal. That means the offensive coordinator has to prove he can develop a signal caller from scratch. The Gators finished 97th in red zone TD percentage at 58% last season. That is a coaching problem, not a talent problem.
Bill Connelly's SEC preview has Florida behind Georgia and Texas again. That is fair based on the numbers. The defense ranked in the top 30 in EPA per play last year but the offense dragged everything down. If the new QB room can't push the ball downfield, the staff evaluation gets ugly fast.
The portal window being eliminated means the staff has to win with what they signed in December. No more panic shopping in the spring. That puts pressure on the recruiting staff to identify the right fits in the 2027 class. The 23 five-stars in this year are not coming to Gainesville if the coaching staff can't show development.
Fall camp is the first real test. If the passing game still looks disjointed, the questions about the head coach's hires will get louder. The numbers do not lie.