What they're saying about Buster Faulkner

The Florida Gators’ landing of Buster Faulkner to be UF’s next offensive coordinator, a move first reported last week, has been well-received by the masses.

On Monday, Faulkner was recognized for his accomplishments at Georgia Tech when he was named 2025 Football Scoop Offensive Coordinator of the Year. Faulkner has been the OC with the Jackets the past three seasons. In 2025, Georgia Tech is 25th in scoring (33.1) and 12th in yards (466.3). In 2024, they were 61st in scoring (28.5) and the year before that, they were 43rd (31.1). The Jackets were 125th the season prior to his arrival.

Here’s what people are saying about Buster Faulkner ….

On Buster Faulkner …

*”Faulkner’s star has risen in the coaching world over the past three years as a part of the Yellow Jackets’ resurgence into a top-25 program. He brings to Florida an offensive system that is a blend of multiple influences: Todd Monken’s offense from Faulkner’s time on Georgia’s staff (2020-22), the run-based system he played in high school in Georgia and the air raid he played in at Valdosta State. There were also pro-style influences at stops before Faulkner’s time at Georgia.” —Seth Emerson, The Athletic

Could the Gators get a quick fix on offense?

*”In 2024, UF finished 12th in the SEC in total offense, after the Gators were sixth in 2023 and seventh in 2022. Napier entered the offseason after ’24, his third season at UF, expected to make an outside hire at offensive coordinator. Faulkner was among those considered. But Napier ultimately, if not stubbornly, decided to continue calling plays — to his detriment. Faulkner likely would have energized a predictable, sluggish attack. In 2022, before Key and Faulkner arrived, Georgia Tech averaged 17.1 points, but improved to 31.1 points per game in 2023.” — Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel

*”The thought of Billy Napier 2.0 is enough to make anyone in Gainesville go off the deep end. But don’t let Billy Napier PTSD cloud your judgment. Jon Sumrall was a great hire, and after hiring Buster Faulkner as their offensive coordinator, there’s a legitimate case to be made that they are the leaders in the clubhouse after this historic SEC coaching carousel.

It doesn’t feel like enough people are talking about how big of a home run Florida and Sumrall hit by hiring Faulkner. Not only has he overseen some of the best, most creative and most efficient offenses in the country in the last five years, but few people have done more with less at that position. There’s a reason why Football Scoop just named him the 2025 Offensive Coordinator of the Year, and Georgia fans were clamoring for him to return to Athens and replace Mike Bobo after last season.” — Chris Marler, Louisiana Sports Net

He’s a Georgia native

*”A Valdosta State graduate, Faulkner has been a winner since he first put on a helmet. He won state championships as a high school quarterback and a coach, and won three national championships and six conference championships at the college level.” — Zach Barnett, FootballScoop

*”Faulkner has been one of the best offensive coordinators and play callers since his time in Atlanta, and he developed Haynes King into one of the nation’s best quarterbacks and a Heisman candidate. Over the summer, it was reported that Faulkner received a significant raise from Georgia Tech. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Faulkner was given a two-year contract extension that will pay him $1.5 million per year. Faulkner became one of the highest paid assistants in the ACC and among the highest-paid offensive coordinators in the country. Per Thamel, it was the largest assistant coaching contract ever given out at Georgia Tech.” —Jackson Caudell, SI.com

Buster Faulkner has adapted to his talent

*”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.'” — Tyler Forness and AJ Schulte, A to Z Sports

Georgia Tech also threw the ball around some

*”With all that was required to stop the Georgia Tech run game, Faulkner then did an outstanding job of layering the passing game on top of the omnipresent run threat. King connected on 230-of-321 passes for 2,697 yards with 12 touchdowns against five interceptions.” — Zach Barnett, FootballScoop

*”I think of Georgia Tech as a Run Game-oriented Offense, but they did a great job spreading touches around to the WR’s as well. When everybody eats, it’s hard to key in on one playmaker.” — Dan Casey, The Play Caller’s Club

*”Buster is one of THE very best. Can design and adapt a scheme to his players as well as anyone. Look at they he did for QB’s Haynes King and Aaron Philo at Georgia Tech when each of them played. Hate to see Brent Key lose his OC, but Faulkner is damn good.” — Louis Riddick, ESPN