Jon Sumrall’s hire of Buster Faulkner as Florida Gators’ OC can elevate DJ Lagway back to his 5-star status
The Florida Gators hiring of Buster Faulkner is one that will bring explosive offense back to Gainesville.
The Florida Gators have been on a wild ride over the last week. They dropped out of the Lane Kiffin race, hired Tulane’s Jon Sumrall as their head coach, and Brad White of the Kentucky Wildcats as their defensive coordinator.
On Thursday, Sumrall lived up to his word when it was reported that Georgia Tech’s Buster Faulkner was hired to be the offensive coordinator.
Florida Gators’ hire of Buster Faulkner can maximize DJ Lagway
The Yellow Jackets are one of the most explosive offenses in the nation, ranking eighth in success rate and 18th in EPA/play. Faulkner did so with a limited passer in Haynes King, but designed one of the best running games in the nation. Where things get interesting is how he’s designed unique offenses for whoever is running it.
“All throughout his career, Faulkner has tailored his system to his quarterback, and every year, his quarterback has improved consistently. Whether he’s going up-tempo in a spread 10-11 personnel offense or lining up in heavier personnel and beating a team over the head with a running quarterback, he’s illustrated an ability to know how to maximize his quarterback and play to his strengths everywhere he’s been throughout his career,” said our coaching expert at A to Z Sports, AJ Schulte, about Faulkner.
“At Arkansas State, he orchestrated an explosive passing game for Justice Hansen built around his talents as a deep ball thrower, and Hansen’s play improved every single year under Faulkner. In 2019 for Southern Miss, Faulkner orchestrated an up-tempo passing game centered around Quez Watkins, utilizing plenty of motion to give Jack Abraham easy reads to diagnose coverages and get his elite playmaker in Watkins out in space.
“During his time with Todd Monken at Georgia, he was a key figure in the Bulldogs’ game planning and passing attack, working alongside Stetson Bennett to help Georgia win two national titles in his three seasons there. Each year, Bennett’s mastery of the offense and production improved, culminating in a monstrous 4,000-yard season in 2022, when he finished fourth in Heisman voting.
“Now at Georgia Tech, he revitalized Haynes King’s career after it appeared to be all but over. The Yellow Jackets are a well-balanced offense that attacks in numerous ways with personnel and scheme, and Faulkner has excelled in creating mismatches and attacking defensive leverage through the air. His creativity as a play caller has forced defenses to account for King as a runner, creating advantages for him to attack through the air, and the Yellow Jackets are 90th percentile or better in virtually every passing metric on the year.”
The most impressive thing about Faulkner is how different each quarterback he’s worked with has been. Whether it be a strong-armed quarterback in Hansen or a battering ram in King, Faulkner has found success with his offenses. Where things get interesting is with how Faulkner will maximize the offense in Gainesville.
Lagway is a fascinating player to look at. A five-star out of Willis, Texas, Lagway has a cannon of an arm and the ability to run the ball at a high level. However, the injuries he’s suffered throughout his career leave a major question mark. He won’t be used like King was at Georgia Tech, and his arm talent is much better than King’s.
Schulte believes that Lagway is a great scheme fit for Faulkner.
“This is the perfect scheme fit for him, as Lagway has the talent to fit seamlessly with Faulkner’s background. His athleticism would allow Faulkner to keep that side of his playbook, and his elite arm talent would allow access to more deep shots than he’s been able to consistently access with King. On the flip side, Faulkner’s motion creativity and up-tempo offense could help smooth out Lagway’s processing and make things easier for him as a decision-maker.”
That sounds a lot better than the vanilla offense that head coach Billy Napier ran, as the motion he used wasn’t quality. It didn’t build to or lead to anything. Everything that Faulkner uses syncs together and has a purpose: to build explosive plays and score a lot of points. Those are important to the Gators’ fanbase.
Get excited, as Sumrall is taking his quote on an explosive offense being mandatory seriously.