Ryan O'Hara Promoted to Assistant Coach

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Nearly a year after the NCAA dropped its limits on the number of on-field assistant coaches a program can have, the Florida Gators have promoted one of its long-time analysts, head coach Billy Napier confirmed Thursday.

Ryan O'Hara, who first joined the program as an analyst with the quarterbacks in 2022, is now one of the team's full-fledged assistant coaches while still working with the quarterbacks.

"He's acquired more responsibility in every cycle," Napier said Thursday. "He's proved to be able to handle the workload. And certainly, last year, the rule that was made freed him up, and I thought he did great work."

Prior to the 2024 season, the NCAA began to allow analysts to provide meaningful on-field coaching both in practice and during games. While he was still an analyst at the time, O'Hara's role with the quarterback room expanded to where he was practically the unit's main assistant coach despite not holding the title.

Now, he'll officially hold the title in 2025.

"He's completely cut loose on the grass, and he's a great teacher," Napier said of O'Hara, who enters his eighth season coaching under Napier. "It takes tremendous pride in being well prepared for the players when they show up to the building. He's done a great job with those guys. I think that those players have played well."

In his first season with no limits as an analyst, O'Hara alleviated Napier's workload while helping develop then-true freshman DJ Lagway, who from a part-time backup to a full-time starter while exceeding expectations.

"The quarterback, I think DJ obviously surpassed my expectations for a rookie. Graham Mertz deserves a lot of credit for this, and Ryan O'Hara, who is an absolutely phenomenal coach and teacher, his contribution, the way he goes above and beyond," Napier said on Nov. 25. "DJ has been blessed. He's got a ton of physical ability, but he's also been in the grinder with Ryan and Graham (Mertz), has made a bunch of progress as a result of a lot of hard work."