Florida Gators LB Derek Wingo On His Experience Handling Coaching Controversy

Gators' LB Derek Wingo knows better than most on how to handle playing under a head coach on the hot seat.

Florida Gators linebacker Derek Wingo (15) celebrates with Florida Gators linebacker Shemar James (6) after a quarterback sack during the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, October 7, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun] / Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- As a veteran of the program, Florida Gators fifth-year linebacker Derek Wingo is one of the few members of the current team to have experienced the Dan Mullen-to-Billy Napier transition first-hand. 

Despite appearing in the SEC Championship game in 2020 (nearly beating an eventual-champion Alabama team) the program’s decline under Mullen was abrupt. 

As a sophomore in 2021, Wingo was part of a Mullen-led team that gave up 52 points to Samford, an FCS opponent.  While the poor defensive performance was an indication of the writing on the wall, the athletic department waited for an overtime loss against Missouri to pull the trigger on Mullen’s firing. 

Although the near future presents a great deal of uncertainty and distraction, Wingo explained that part of his role as a veteran is ensuring that his teammates remain focused throughout such a tumultuous time. 

"I think being the older guy I can give more guidance to some of the guys about outside noise," Wingo said. "Taking things week by week. Just understand that when we go out there to practice today, we're focused on what we're doing today. Not focused on tomorrow." 

According to 247Sports, the Gators have not secured a top-ten recruiting class since hiring Napier as their coach. Prior to hiring Napier, Florida finished with a top-ten class in two out of the three most recent seasons.

While Napier’s play-calling has been subject to a great deal of criticism over the past few years, Wingo stated that the team’s struggles shouldn't solely be boiled down to schematics. 

“It doesn't always matter about the play calling. We're on the field, right? We're making the plays. We're executing. At the end of the day, it's who is out there on the field executing the best,” Wingo said. “So you guys can point fingers or do whatever you might want to do. At the end of the day, we didn't execute.”

Although Mullen and Napier’s situation share some similarities, one stark difference between the two is the simple fact that Florida won many more games with Mullen at the helm.

Through 28 games as the Gators head coach, Napier’s record is 12-16. In Mullen’s first 28 games as the coach, the team had a 23-5 record. Even with the rocky start in 2021 that led to his eventual firing, Mullen maintained a winning record as the Gators coach (34-15). 

Napier will have a chance to slightly improve that mark on Saturday against Mississippi State. Kickoff from Starkville is at noon ET with television coverage on ESPN.