The Fear That Shows the Importance of Gators Nailing Head Coaching Hire

Right now, the Florida Gators remain stuck in search of a return to prominence. As soon as they appear to be back on the rise, they've crashed back down. The Billy Napier era did the worst job at teasing it, showing the worst performance in decades. However, it's long been known that the right hire is all it takes.

“There’s a sleeping giant down there,” legendary Alabama head coach Bear Bryant told the Miami Herald back in the 1970s. “Don’t poke that alligator. It’s asleep. You won’t like them when they wake up.”

Even before the heydays in Gainesville, one of the greatest coaches in the spot's history knew the potential. That sentiment hasn't been expressed that explicitly since, but it has been acknowledged when looking between the lines.

Heading into the annual bout in Jacksonville this Saturday, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart wasn't going to write off Florida so easily.

"I don't see it as Florida's not up and running," he said during Wednesday's SEC Coaches Teleconference. "I know you have facts to argue that it's not true, but they're extremely competitive. They're in every game. They're a really good team. I don't look at it as - I get what you're saying in terms of dominance and SEC championship appearances and all that, but I view Florida as up and running, personally, because they got really good players and they built a good and strong roster."

It could be easy to just write this off as an practiced answer, and to an extent, it still is. However, this is coming from someone who very well knows the programs potential.

While Smart has had the Gators' number as a coach, he was stuck under Steve Spurrier's thumb in his playing days. He's seen some talented Gators teams and knows that if the right coach is leading them, it's going to make their championship aspirations even toughter.

The improved Gators roster gave him a headache just a season ago. If Lagway doesn't get hurt, along with better play calling, they get that win. Napier was onto something when he said they were close to being dangerous. They're the right head coaching hire away. Nailing that next hire becomes that much more important.

Getting that right hire means that the Georgia game is, at least, anyone's game instead of a loss at the hands of Smart. The concern that they'll lose to Florida State won't start to set in because they avoid losing winnable games, such as against USF. With the right coach, even the losses to LSU and Miami could have gone differently. They weren't as out of reach as the scores could suggest.

The best part of this for Florida is that it's easy to see, and they likely hoping the next hire is botched again. It means rivals have a clearer bath to the SEC title, a playoff berth or a national championship. If the Gators get it right, the path to top of the mountain runs through the Swamp. It has before. It can again.

More From Florida Gators on SI