the chase Thomas podcast for people who have nothing but time to [Music] kill for sure um Florida here speaking of coaches on the hot seat here your main character for the Florida Gators this fall will be who back green okay sir this is my hot take this is the one I've been waiting on the main character for the Florida Gator sir is DJ Lag Way that is going to be what their season is measured on because this Florida season is not going to go well but I feel like it's going to be maybe like a Desmond Ritter situation with uh with Arthur Smith like he he's not playing the whole season and then at the end of the year oh you know Desmond Ritter showed some signs maybe we'll maybe we'll hold on to him next year obviously I think most people prefer DJ lague be better than Desmond Ritter but I think we're going to see a situation of maybe Florida starts maybe they start decent you know maybe they're they're three and three or something and there's just there's nothing really to play for and then it's like okay let's get that future quarterback in there maybe in in some games lague kind of you know creates a buzz and then all of a sudden they just put him in the starting lineup and we start to see maybe Florida goes five and seven next year but by the third by the last two or three games of the season it's like okay this guy looks like he could be a star and I think that's the type of thing that could save Billy Napier's job is like okay it was another Bad season it was a third losing season in a row but I feel like we got our star quarterback that could take us to the next level maybe Napier's all right you know maybe the SEC got harder maybe we need to adjust our expectations a little bit maybe we it's gonna take a little longer than we thought to get back up there but I think having a a quarterback that looks like a star I think that can that can go a long way for a fan base and kind of just the overall temperature of the of the program and I I think that's what's going to happen like Graham Merz doesn't feel like the kind of guy that's going to be bad enough to lose the job but I feel like you know just one of those situations maybe it's not the quarterback's fault but you're like after a few games you're like the offense is stale like something just needs to change just for the sake of change and lague comes in and and you see the the offense go to another level I think that's and then just the promise of the future I think will be like the the Silver Lining on maybe a third what it wait it would be a fourth straight season that they would have no they did make a bowl game but they end a losing record so the second straight year they got shut out in that bowl game by Oregon State right yeah that was 2022 I think they had a kick what did they celebrate the made field goal what happened what did they do wasn't there a weird they've had a really long streak of not getting shut out like the 80s or 90s like a couple of those Georgia blowouts like 2017 and maybe maybe one a couple years ago they've like gotten a fourth quarter touchdown and like celebrated it that's what it was goodness gracious I'm gonna zag here Matt Green like I said I think people are all zoning in and I understand the schedule for Florida they're they're zoning in on Florida is the three and N disaster Bon a losing his job team I just talked about the one who I'm zagging on it's South Carolina I think South Carolina is the team who actually has the season from um is my guess right now as I as we sit here now on July 1 I don't think it's going to be Florida M green and Eugene Wilson is one of the reasons he's my main character for the Florida Gator this fall he's a former five star he's going to a sophomore year he was really good in the Utah game I don't know if you remember right out of the gate he is a do it all Swiss army knife like I don't know if he's Percy Harvin like those guys just don't come around very often but he's a festar for a reason like I think people need to understand Eugene Wilson in 10 games he had seven starts last year he finished with a team High six touchdowns uh he was second on the team in receptions and only seven starts with 61 538 receiving yards um he ran uh the ball well like he's he's someone who can be used in so many different ways like I if he's healthy for a full year I think Eugene Wilson's gonna be really really good for Florida and gry merch is the type of quarterback where it's like he's not gonna throw picks just get the ball in Eugene Wilson's hands like keep him on the field Eugene Wilson I think is actually one of the most talented receivers in the conference going into this year um so for me I'm pretty like I think he's a main character where people if Florida gets off to some early success I think a lot of it is because Eugene Wilson in this offense is exceeding expectations and I think Eugene Wilson could be the next really big time uh Do-it all Swiss army knife kind of uh skill position guy um so pretty high on y Wilson so he's my main character Matt Green yeah I like that he was he was like the scariest weon on their offense a year ago as good as peol is he didn't like he didn't terrify you like P was good he's not a number one yeah Eugene Wilson's a game changer like the way uh just the the the yards after catch ability just he's a Dynamic Athlete I think he just kind of scares you kind of take the top off a little differently than Pier saww for sure reverses this side and the other I think Eugene Wilson is just going to be a really good player at Florida um all that being said there are only two and a half Point dogs at home against Miami to kick things off I think people who are penciling in Miami and Mario crystal ball to just walk into the swamp and win this game I think they're getting a ahead of themselves like I've talked about in our predic pretty close huh two and a half's pretty close that's what I'm saying and I think people have just penciled in Miami and penciled in that like Florida's going to have this terrible season this schedule doesn't start that horrible for Florida Matt Green like it's tough but you get Sanford at home I think there's a very real chance that they beat Miami to kick things off like I'll believe Florida loses it at home when I see it against Miami you get A&M with a new coach at home in week three they might be favored there so then you're looking at three and 0 for Florida building momentum you go to Mississippi State which I understand it's hard sometimes to play they're going to be favored Jeff leby year one Blake shapen thir qub back they might have be a disaster um this first year at Mississippi State that's a very winnable game for Florida then they get UCF we talk about like them having to play all the Florida schools well they played two of them at home like that's huge for them to get UCF at home so we've talked about in last week's pod that bill Griffin Stadium is one of the most difficult places to play when Florida's good I think early on this place is going to be bumping because Florida has not gone the they the losses haven't racked up they're not losing uh steam in that regard that's the better that's the better way to say it before The Season's gone bad it's a difficult place to play I think a lot of those early season Road games are a lot tougher than people kind of think like what was it North Carolina went Virginia Tech uh season opener a couple years ago when they were like season top 10 and got upset I just think going on the road everyone's got that hope that this year could be the year that the fan base there's no negativity week one no and look like the back end I will agree from Tennessee on is brutal for Florida but I don't know I don't I think people who are just like oh three and nine or it's going to be disaster in the three and a half I think there's a chance Florida's undefeated going to nean and I hope that's not the case because I don't want any part of undefeated Florida coming in uh to Tennessee in mid October which is gonna be weird that it's this late in the season um that they're playing the Gators uh at uh at Tennessee but after that like if you want to tell me that it's going to be a disaster after because you get Kentucky at home at George or Georgia in Jacksonville at Texas LSU at home Old Miss at home and then at Florida State like you're just not gonna find a tougher back into the schedule anywhere in the country like that's the toughest no no question I don't know where these rankings are coming from on if you I'm looking on FBS schedules.com and they got a little number next to everybody they have Kentucky 23 Miami 24 and A&M 25 I don't know what rankings have that but if their rankings are correct that's nine ranked teams on schedule but the crazy part is Miami is at home A&M is home Kentucky is home LSU is home Old Miss is home Florida or Georgia is is not on the road as a neutral site so it's kind of unfortunate if you're a if you're a Florida fan because it feels like I mean other than the fact that this is Napier's job potentially on the line that it might be as good as this super difficult schedule could get if that if that's the Silver Lining I guess um but yeah it's maybe maybe some of those home games they can it can bounce their way and that could you know at least set them up for not being as disappointed when they lose four or five of their final six games but I don't know could be could be the DJ lagway show so don't sleep on that final one here nicely done nephew the chase Thomas podcast hell yeah [Music]