Entering year three of the Billy Napier-era of the Florida Gators football program, there’s been plenty of change both within the roster and the coaching staff. 

However, one change didn’t come from the outside. It came from an inward promotion. 

After one season as the Gators’ tight ends coach, Russ Callaway took on more responsibility within the offensive scheme after being promoted to co-offensive coordinator in February. One of those expected responsibilities is having more input in the play-calling and design, which was inconsistent at times last season. 

Despite rumors swirling and calls from fans for Callaway to take full control of the Gators’ play-calling, he said it’s a team-effort across the board.

“I think really it’s overall a team effort,” he said on Tuesday. “When I got here a few years ago, I worked with Coach Napier in the past, Coach (Rob) Sale in the past, and I believe, and we believe it’s about getting your players in the best situation possible.

“So I don’t think I would necessarily put my own spin on it. It’s really a team effort. It starts at the top with Coach Napier and Coach Sale and myself and all the other coaches we have on staff.”

That’s not to say, though, that Callaway can’t have a major impact on the offense despite not having the final say on plays. His greatest success came during his time with FCS Samford, where he spent four of his five years on staff as the offensive coordinator. 

Known for an air-raid attack, Callaway led the Bulldogs to tremendous success in the passing game. In 2018, Samford led the FCS in passing (392.7 yards per game) and sixth in red zone offense (90.2%). 

The Bulldogs were also top-15 nationally in the FCS in team passing efficiency (155.24), scoring (35.1 points per game) and total offense (446.2 yards per game). He wants to continue that success with Florida.

“Obviously you want to generate as many explosives as possible. Really that starts with really good players, to be honest with you,” he said. “We do have a very solid core coming back. We feel really good about the guys in the room — quarterback room, receiver room, running back room. It goes back, again, week to week, what are we seeing that they’re doing defensively, and how can we get the guys in the right spot to make them the most — the best chance to succeed?”

A lot of the play-calling and scheme decisions will come on a week-to-week basis, Callaway said. However, the plan to get the ball into playmaker’s hands, namely sophomore wide receiver Eugene Wilson III, remains the same. 

“We do a really good job, and we’ve done it in the spring, of tracking real time how many times Tre’s touched it, how many times the running backs have touched it, the other receivers, so forth, and so on,” he said. “I think it’s one of those things it’s kind of the flow of the game. If we’re rolling and Tre’s touched it five times in the first half, okay, we’re doing really good spreading the ball around. Or if it’s not going great, then maybe we’ve got to maneuver a couple of things here or there.”

Callaway’s promotion isn’t the only play-calling-related change heading into the 2024 season. Nation-wide, programs can now use communication through quarterbacks’ helmets, similar to the style NFL teams use. 

Callaway, although in favor of the change, is realistic with the struggles that could come with using the equipment. 

“We’re kind of still working through the kinks of it with camp because this is the first time that we’ve done it. I do think there will be some benefit with different ways that people get in the play calls,” he said. “However, there are certain backup plans you have to have in place if something were to go wrong with the headset on GameDay. Sometimes it will go out for a drive, maybe get you cut off. You’ve got to have different ways to get the play in.” 

Despite the vast changes throughout the program, Callaway sees a difference in the culture of this year’s Gator squad. This was evident during the voluntary workouts in the offseason while the coaches were hosting recruiting weekends.

Not expecting any players to be on the field to be working out while visits were taking place, Callaway explained he saw many players from many different position groups participating in workouts.

“I looked at a couple of our coaches, and I said this is the difference in the team this year,” he said. “They want it. They got that Gator in them, and that’s kind of what we’ve been preaching. To have that mentality and what we’re looking for, the work ethic on and off the field, I really think this group has it.” 

The 2024 Florida Gators will put that into practice throughout fall camp, which continues with a practice partially open to the media on Wednesday, in preparation for its season-opening matchup against Miami on Aug. 31. 

The National Hurricane Center increased the chances of a tropical system developing in an area from Hispaniola through the Florida Peninsula to 60% over the next seven days.

While the tropical wave the center is watching is several hundred miles east of the Leeward Islands and is being held back by dry Saharan air, forecasters believe it will break free of that restriction as it moves west toward the Caribbean Sea where exceptionally warm waters beckon.

An early Tuesday forecast said a tropical depression could form later this week while the system is near the Greater Antilles or the Bahamas.

“Interest in the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas, and the southeastern U.S. should monitor the progress of this system,” NHC senior hurricane specialist Eric Blake in his 2 a.m. Tuesday outlook.

More: Hurricane season 2024: More than 1 million new Florida residents may not understand storm prep

The next name on the 2024 hurricane list is Debby, followed by Ernesto and Francine.

National Weather Service meteorologists in Miami are also watching the tropical wave over the central Atlantic Ocean, but said there is a big gap between weather models as far as what its future holds. More “disorganized” solutions favor a western track into the Gulf of Mexico. Models that show the system consolidating and becoming better organized favor it going more easterly with some taking it well east of the Florida Peninsula.

“This makes sense, as a deeper system is more likely to ‘feel’ the temporary weakness in the mid-level ridge which is expected to develop this weekend,” NWS Miami meteorologists wrote in a morning forecast. “All that being said, given the wave is currently quite disorganized and broad with a defined low-level center yet to be established, there is no real compelling reason to side with one cap or the other.”

Also, NWS Miami forecasters emphasized that even if a more organized storm develops, it doesn’t necessarily imply greater impacts to South Florida as the region could be on the drier west side of the system. At the same time, a sloppy system could result in more rainfall.

More: Hurricane Beryl’s rapid intensification has emergency managers mulling survival timelines

While scattered showers are forecast Tuesday and into Wednesday for Palm Beach County, the Palm Beach International is down 3.34 inches of rain for the month of July as of Monday. Just 1.9 inches of rain had fallen through July 29 making this month the 14th driest in records that date back 131 years.

Kimberly Miller is a journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate and how growth affects South Florida’s environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. Help support our local journalism; subscribe today.

The survey of likely Florida voters from the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab shows Donald Trump ahead of Harris by a robust 7-point margin, 49% to 42%.

Vice President Kamala Harris may have energized Florida’s Democratic base, but a poll released Tuesday morning suggests her candidacy hasn’t yet changed voter preferences in the state.

The survey of likely Florida voters from the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab shows Donald Trump ahead of Harris by a robust 7-point margin, 49% to 42%.

“It’s not a huge surprise to see Trump ahead in his home state of Florida, which he won by three points in 2020,” Michael Binder, a UNF political science professor and the polling lab’s director, said in a prepared statement. “With Harris just entering the race, enthusiasm amongst her supporters has livened up what was once thought to be an easy win for Trump in Florida.”

The poll is the first survey of the state electorate since President Joe Biden opted to not seek the party’s nomination in August at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. In the past week or so, Harris has quickly moved to lock up Biden’s delegates and unite the party behind her, while reportedly raising more than $200 million.

Presidential campaign 2024: Harris volunteers pack Delray office to get out the vote for the VP

Florida Democrats insist they will put ‘Florida in play’

Her candidacy has unleashed a wave of enthusiasm, Florida Democrats say, that has led to more than 11,000 new volunteers to step forward to help the Harris campaign. This past weekend saw phone banks and other activities across the state marking 100 days of campaign blitzing until Nov. 5.

Congressman Maxwell Frost, an Orlando Democrat and member of Harris’ national advisory board, insisted it’s not “just a talking point” in claiming that Florida is “already a state that is in play.”

“Look, here in Florida, we saw unprecedented actions from volunteers from across the entire state, in blue counties and in red counties,” Frost said. “So much energy. People are excited to get out there and vote for the vice president to be the next President of the United States.”

Hurris surging: Kamala Harris campaign deployed 1,400 Florida volunteers during ‘Weekend of Action’

Frost said the campaign will stress that Floridians’ votes “matter” and will highlight a record including climate crisis measures and noteworthy strides in reducing Black and Latino unemployment while bolstering fortunes for minority businesses.

Congresswoman Lois Frankel of West Palm Beach said there’s been “an overwhelming groundswell of support” across the country, in Florida and in Palm Beach County, Trump’s home county.

Frankel noted that in the United States, one-third of women of reproductive age now live in states with abortion bans, including 4 million in Florida. She said the state’s new restrictions are leading to dangerous miscarriages and 68,000 forced pregnancies.

“Even his neighbors don’t want Donald Trump’s extreme Project 2025 agenda, and that includes a nationwide abortion ban,” she said.

“Listen, Floridians want the freedom to make their own health care decisions,” Frankel added, saying Harris would sign the Women’s Health Protection Act to secure access to legal abortions across the United States. “Women want to be in charge of when or whether to start or grow a family.”

UNF poll found closer U.S. Senate race, wide support for constitutional amendments

The poll, however, pointed to a much narrower gap between U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, who is seeking re-election, and one of his potential Democratic rivals, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. The GOP incumbent topped the former Democratic congresswoman from Miami by just 4 percentage points, 47% to 43%.

That lead was just inside the margin of error of 4.6 percentage points.

Two high-profile constitutional amendments on the November ballot appear to enjoy the electorate’s favor.

Some 64% said they were a “yes” vote on Amendment 3, which would legalize adult recreational marijuana use, with just 31% saying no. Support for Amendment 4 to protect access to abortions polled even higher — 69% saying yes to only 23% saying no.

Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at afins@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.