Unpacking O'Hara's Play-Calling Past with the Gators' QB Coach

A New Era for Florida Gators' Offense

As the interim head coach, Billy Gonzalez recently announced that the Florida Gators will turn to Ryan O’Hara as the offensive play-caller for the rest of the season. The decision comes as the team looks to revamp its 91st-ranked offense in college football. O’Hara, the quarterbacks coach, is expected to bring a fresh perspective and potentially spark much-needed momentum.

A Journey Through Coaching

O’Hara's experience as a play-caller at the college level is limited. His only stint as a true play caller was during the 2016-17 season when he took on the offensive coordinator position with Alabama A&M. However, his coaching career has been anything but conventional. He started his journey at various community colleges before joining Billy Napier at Louisiana and eventually following him to Florida.

O’Hara shared some reflections on his journey this offseason. “It’s funny because my career started when I finished playing Arena ball and came back and I started as a volunteer at my high school. I was the quarterback coach in 2009. Just went out there to a 7-on-7, and it was kind of ‘Hey they’re playing quarters, let’s run a double post’, it was ‘Ah OK I kind of like this coaching thing’, and so it’s been a long journey,” he recalled.

He had always dreamed of coaching in the SEC. “I wanted to be the quarterback coach in the SEC, and I said that to my wife when I was a head high school coach who had 19 players on the team, I said ‘We’re gonna go coach in the SEC’.”

Overcoming Challenges

Despite reaching his goal, O’Hara's journey was not without challenges. There was a time when he was driving for Uber while searching for work. “If I were to talk to myself at that time when we were fired, driving Uber and Lyft, I would just say ‘Keep going, because this was the goal and the mission,'” he said. “You just talk about it, you manifest it, you believe in the goal and you just keep moving forward, and that’s all you can do.”

The Challenge Ahead

Now stepping into a critical role at Florida, one that many attribute to Napier’s failure at the program, O’Hara will have a chance to transform a Gators offense in dire need. The team currently sits at 123rd in the country in points per game, averaging just 1.7 touchdowns per outing. They have yet to score over 30 points in a game against FBS opponents and have finished with under 20 four times in seven matchups.

While game-planning and Florida’s plan of attack will still be a group effort, led by offensive coordinator Russ Callaway and aided by coaches such as Jabbar Juluke and Rob Sale, a look into O’Hara’s last stop as a play-caller may provide insight into what to reasonably expect from his approach to game-day production.

Insights from Alabama A&M

During the 2016 season at Alabama A&M, where O’Hara spent time as the offensive play-caller, the Bulldogs averaged 23.82 points per game, scoring almost three touchdowns per game and averaging 366 yards of total offense. In conference matchups, their points per game would jump to 27, though they struggled against FBS opponents.

The starting quarterback, De’angelo Balla, threw for just under 2,000 yards, passing for 10 touchdowns but also throwing nine interceptions. Four different receivers saw over 20 catches, with Tevin McKenzie leading the way with 50 catches for 539 yards.

Running Game Focus

The rushing attack was a priority under O’Hara, with Alabama A&M rushing the ball 449 total times, averaging 4.4 yards per carry on the season. He showed a tendency to use a bell-cow running back, with his starting back seeing 159 carries for 851 yards and nine touchdowns.

Ponds ended the year with 663 total rushing yards and seven touchdowns, while leading receiver McKenzie received 23 carries for 123 yards in O’Hara’s scheme.

Red Zone Struggles

Although the Gators have struggled to score touchdowns in the red zone this year, Alabama A&M also had a tough time under O’Hara, scoring a touchdown on just 19 of 35 trips. The Bulldogs' 54 percent touchdown rate in the red zone was far behind the Gators' so far this year, which sits at 65 percent.

A Collaborative Approach

While O’Hara’s offense at the FCS level may not jump off the page, the play-caller will have access to a game plan built through collaboration along with more talent than ever before. As well, he will have a strong understanding of what plays Gators' gunslinger DJ Lagway will be comfortable with, a large reason as to why Gonzalez made the decision.

“The addition of the green dot on the football helmet has significantly changed how we coach and how we communicate… I think it’s going to be an opportunity just to hit home over and over the teaching methods that go on in the meeting and let him be familiar with that voice,” Gonzalez said on the decision. “The most important piece to that is there is a rhythm piece between (O’Hara) and DJ. I think it’s really important that the quarterback is an extension of his teacher.”

A New Beginning

O’Hara did have one unofficial stint as Florida's play-caller, reportedly coaching the Orange Team in the 2025 spring game. As the play-caller, Orange quarterback Harrison Bailey threw for a spring-game record 363 yards, while receiver Dallas Wilson caught 10 passes for 195 yards.

Now moving to the box and getting on the mic for his quarterback, O’Hara’s Gator debut as a play-caller will not start easy, as his first day will be against rival Georgia in Jacksonville out of the bye week. The Bulldogs rank 28th in total defense currently, proving to be a serious test for the new look Florida offense looking to find any sort of momentum in the back half of the season.