BREAKING NEWS: The absence of depth chart for Florida Football is primarily semantics

There is no denying that Florida Football is dealing with a quarterback controversy. Although Billy Napier hasn’t stated clearly who he will start on Saturday between DJ Lagway and Graham Mertz, it seems clear from reading between the lines that Mertz will face Texas A&M first.

Fans are wondering why Florida has decided not to reveal a depth chart prior to their game on Saturday against that backdrop.

To be fair and honest, it wouldn’t really matter if Napier released one or not.

Football in Florida: Names on a List
This year’s new SEC regulations require clubs to publish “Availability Reports” on Wednesdays, and the Gators have a long list of ailing players. Ten Gators are classified as doubtful for Saturday’s game, including Asa Turner, Tre Wilson, Devin More, and Mertz and Joey Slackman, who are not mentioned at all in the report.

What’s more noteworthy is that Napier is choosing not to publish a depth chart, which was formerly done every Wednesday.

“From this point on, we will just generate an availability report. And then, similarly to what you’re describing, you piece together the depth chart based on it. We have previously created a depth chart. We will now only provide you with the availability report, nevertheless.

It’s true that Napier’s depth charts were never quite accurate to begin with, regardless of whether this was always the plan or whether he’s attempting to avoid making headlines about his starting quarterback on Saturday. For instance, Amir Jackson was listed as Tony Livingston’s backup tight end against Samford, yet Jackson received zero offensive snaps while Livingston received ten. Despite not even being on the depth chart, Taylor Spierto ended up playing more snaps than Marcus Burke and Tank Hawkins.