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Billy Napier foreshadowed a promotion in Florida tight ends coach Russ Callaway’s future on National Signing Day, and that reward has emerged in the form of a co-offensive coordinator title.

How will this move change Florida’s offensive operation? Will Callaway take over as the Gators’ play-caller? Are there any coaching moves left for UF to make? All Gators attempts to answer these questions and shares three thoughts about the move below.

IT BECAME CLEAR THAT CALLAWAY EARNED ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITY WITHIN THE GATORS’ OFFENSE

Callaway’s promotion marks his second in as many offseasons with UF. He joined the Gators as an off-field analyst in 2022 and was appointed to the on-field, tight ends coaching position in 2023.

Having coordinated an offense by his sixth season as a college coach, at Samford, and been hired by an NFL squad in an off-field capacity by his 11th, Callaway remains on an upward trajectory as an assistant, with his newest gig being his highest in profile.

Florida head coach Billy Napier teased on National Signing Day that Callaway would continue to climb the ladder after an impressive season as Florida’s tight ends coach. The Gators enjoyed the emergence of redshirt freshmen Arlis Boardingham and Hayden Hansen under Callaway’s tutelage, who combined for 38 receptions, 439 yards and six touchdowns in 2023.

“I’ve worked closely with him for a year. I think ultimately, he’s a guy that obviously is going to acquire more responsibility,” Napier said on Feb. 7. “How we define that, you know, I think we’ll work our way through that.

“Ultimately, Russ is a heck of a young coach. And much like me, he’s worked on defense in the past as a young coach, he’s called plays at different levels, played quarterback, has the leadership components, has the respect of the players. So, Russ is a guy that we certainly are excited about.” Callaway will continue to oversee the Gators’ tight ends in addition to his new set of duties.

IT IS LESS CLEAR WHO WILL CALL PLAYS FOR FLORIDA MOVING FORWARD

Florida now employs two offensive coordinators, as Callaway will split the post with offensive line coach Rob Sale, who has been the Gators’ offensive coordinator in name for the past two seasons.

Yet, there is a reality in which neither of UF’s offensive coordinators call plays. Napier has done so since his hiring as the Gators’ head coach, and he was previously noncommittal about relinquishing the obligation when asked about the potential to do so. It remains unclear if such a change will occur, despite Callaway’s promotion.

“All that is to be determined is what I would say,” Napier said on National Signing Day. “I think we’ve got time to figure those things out. But I mean, I don’t see any major overhauls outside of just how we organize that group and how we operate in-house.”

Napier’s results as Florida’s play-caller have been inconsistent but at times promising. The Gators ranked in the middle of the Southeastern Conference pack in 2023: No. 6 in yards per game (409.1) and No. 9 in points per game (28.4), down in average yards by 15 and average points by 1.1 from 2022.

Deviating somewhat from his historical trend of being run-dominant — which worked to the tune of 25 touchdowns from Montrell Johnson, Trevor Etienne and Anthony Richardson combined on a 56.3%/43.7% team-wide run/pass split in 2022 — Napier dialed up passes on 48.1% of plays in 2023, generating the SEC’s No. 7 passing offense (259.3 yards per game).

The unit’s middling performance over two seasons could inspire structural changes, and Callaway’s promotion reinforces that idea. But just how drastic might those adjustments be?

“Yeah, you know, we’re in the process of defining those roles is what I would say, and I think we’re working our way through that. I do think that there will be different responsibilities to some degree. You know, I think you’ll see, we’ll probably talk more specific about that in the future,” Napier said.

He pointed toward Florida’s offseason front office and special teams hirings as an attempt to tweak his workload and become a more efficient head coach, leaving the door of awarding play-calling to someone within the system open to possibly walk through. “Really an effort to put the right things in place, so that you know the time is allocated for me in the right places,” Napier stated. “I think it’s been a heckuva two years in terms of all the new things that come with the job.

“So offensively, I think that we will, we may have different titles and responsibilities within that group of people. There could be an addition or two, we’ve shuffled the deck a little bit in terms of those things, but ultimately we’ll keep the same system and keep moving forward in that regard.” If anyone is to alleviate Napier of these duties, it would be Callaway, given his promotion and previous experience designing offenses.

But what would Callaway’s promotion mean should Napier continue in the leading role? Could he craft the offensive game plan for Napier to utilize on game day? Coordinate the passing attack while Sale orchestrates the rushing game? Ultimately, time will tell.

ONE COACHING POSITION REMAINS OPEN ON FLORIDA’S STAFF

Since Callaway is already a member of Florida’s on-field staff and will maintain his tight end coaching responsibilities, his promotion does not impact the Gators’ task of filling its final assistant vacancy.

Co-offensive line coach Darnell Stapleton’s Feb. 15 jump to the Washington Commanders opened the spot, which UF has yet to plug. Considering how Florida’s offseason staff shakeup has played out, it would be surprising if the final addition to the group was not a second offensive line coach. The only traditional on-field position unoccupied on UF’s staff is the role of quarterbacks coach, and that is because Napier oversees the room with the help of analyst Ryan O’Hara. That dynamic is not expected to change.

If Florida is to look in-house to fill a co-offensive line coaching position, one potential candidate is Kaleb Johnson, who joined UF as an offensive line quality control assistant ahead of the 2023 season. Johnson’s coaching background is limited to his active stint with UF and three seasons (2020-22) as a strength and conditioning assistant and offensive line performance liaison at Rutgers, his alma mater. The Jacksonville, Fla. native started 50 consecutive games on the Scarlet Knight’s offensive line between 2011-14, at guard and tackle.

Following his college career, Johnson spent time with the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs and Chicago Bears, mainly on practice squads and preseason rosters.

Although their résumés feature no circumstances of offensive line coaching aside from oversight as coordinators, UF senior offensive analyst John Donovan and offensive quality control assistant Eric Kiesau each offer over 20 years of general coaching experience and could also be considered for such a position.