Billy Napier just gave himself a vote of confidence ahead of crucial year for Florida

Nobody believed in Billy Napier last year, so I get the sentiment of the Florida head coach betting on himself once again. Florida navigated one of the hardest schedules in the country en route to a surprising bowl appearance and a strong win over Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl. Much of this had to do with freshman phenom quarterback DJ Lagway taking over for the injured veteran Graham Mertz.

While appearing on Gators Breakdown, Napier explained why he is deciding to not have an offensive coordinator in a traditional sense in favor of him being the primary play-caller. This is something he has done before and plans to do again.

To me, this has everything to do with Florida catching fire in the second half of last season, as it is full steam ahead with Lagway under center. Whether it will actually work is something we'll be able to answer in the fall.

Florida should be a bowl team again next year. I have them as a borderline College Football Playoff contender, winning somewhere around eight games. I would not be shocked if the Gators got the best of my beloved Georgia Bulldogs.

I do think this team found its stride under Napier last year and I am rooting for him to continue proving his doubters wrong. Here is Napier appearing on Gators Breakdown, explaining why he plans to be Florida's play-caller.

Let me know discuss the pros and cons of Napier deciding to go in this direction with his offense.

Billy Napier is betting on himself when it comes to Florida taking off

For the sake of being positive, I think he knows his team better than anyone. If Napier feels this is the right course of action, then I guess Florida fans have to trust him. The only thing that matters is Lagway progressing in his first full season as a starter. He has a chance to be the best quarterback in the SEC by the end of next season, and if nothing else, having one voice in his ear could be keen in his development at Florida.

However, Florida has never made the College Football Playoff before — for a multitude of reasons. It starts with coaching, particularly in-game execution. This has not always been Napier's forte. We know he can recruit and has shown a proclivity for developing his players. Unfortunately, limiting a staff's effectiveness by trying to do everything is not how you win big in college football.

The biggest thing that I hold true when it comes to college football is you never winning a national championship in this day and age with an offensive wunderkind at the helm of it. You either need a defensive-minded guy who loves to recruit more than spending time with his own family, or preferably a head coach who has evolved into the true CEO-type to run the gauntlet that is the 12-team playoff.

Napier has every right to bet on himself, but so do all of his detractors who want to see him fail hard.