College football insider provides latest update on Billy Napier’s job status with the Florida Gators
The inevitable continues to be rumored, and Gators fans are waiting.
Going into the bye week, the majority of the discussion about the Florida Gators surrounded the status of head coach Billy Napier. He has the Gators sitting at 2-3 after an upset victory over the Texas Longhorns, but his seat is far from cold.
According to On3 Sports’ Brett McMurphy, Napier will need “a magical run, a miracle finish” to keep his job after the season.
Billy Napier needs a miracle finish to keep his job
It shouldn’t be that much of a surprise that Napier needs some kind of miracle finish to keep his job. Last year, Napier had that miracle finish in winning his final four games, including upset wins over the LSU Tigers and Ole Miss Rebels before beating the Florida State Seminoles and Tulane Green Wave in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Overall, Napier is 21-22 as the head coach, which is wild and understandable. He came into a broken program that needed to be rebuilt after former head coach Dan Mullen left the program barren from a recruiting perspective. There were going to be some bumps getting that infrastructure in place, but at some point, results have to come.
“The players love him and the team has bought in,” a source told On3 Sports’ McMurphy. “He doesn’t have discipline issues. There are so many things to like. He’s managed to build the program. He’s good in the building, around the building.”
Said another source: “Billy does most everything right Sunday through Friday. It’s just a nightmare on Saturdays.”
It’s crucial that the team remains committed to what Napier is doing. That’s a big reason why the Gators got the win over Texas. Quarterback DJ Lagway had one of his best games as a Gator, completing 21-28 for 298 yards and two touchdowns.
It’s also baffling that he still has a record under .500 and his job. Jim McElwain had a record of 22-12 when the Gators moved on from him during his third season. One reason is due to the issues in the administration, when the Gators were without a president for some time before Donald W. Landry was named the interim president. Having cohesiveness on the administration likely would have cost Napier his job last year, even with the four-game winning streak to end the season.
The reality at Florida is simple: you need to win big football games, and Napier simply hasn’t done enough winning. He’s just 3-12 against his biggest rivals and has yet to beat a ranked opponent on the road. A victory in College Station over an impressive Texas A&M Aggies team would go a long way heading into homecoming against Mississippi State next week.
“Sun Belt Billy” needs to get it figured out and fast.
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