GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida coach Billy Napier knows it’s coming. Everyone does, maybe even his kids.
Napier is in his final days, possibly weeks, with the Gators. He seems resigned to the ending, whether he’s fired Saturday night, Sunday morning or in the very near future.
He’s been a total pro about it. He’s not making excuses. He’s not pointing fingers. He’s not suggesting he needs more time or contemplating what could have been had quarterback DJ Lagway, receiver Dallas Wilson and defensive tackle Caleb Banks been healthy all season.
Napier’s calm demeanor and positive approach are probably why he still has his job while seven college football coaches, including Penn State’s James Franklin and Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy, already have been shown the door.
“It’s what we sign up for,” said Napier, who is getting paid $7.5 million in 2025. “They compensate us well. So these are challenging jobs, in today’s climate in particular. We’re all men. We’re all competitors. We understand we live in a production world, and you got to produce. There’s no running from that. … If you’re at a place that doesn’t have high expectations, then how much fun is that? The challenge of playing against the best is why you do it as a competitor, to see if you can do it.”
Napier has failed to get it done in Gainesville. The Gators are 21-23 in Napier’s four seasons heading into Saturday’s homecoming game against Mississippi State (4-2, 0-2 Southeastern Conference). And with a bye week looming, no one would be surprised if athletic director Scott Stricklin dumps Napier and triggers a roughly $21 million buyout regardless of the outcome against the Bulldogs.
Florida (2-4, 1-2) is 11-16 in SEC play under Napier and 0-14 against ranked teams away from home. He’s had one of the toughest schedules in the country the last two years, including three top-five teams on the road this season.
The Gators were in all of them in the fourth quarter – and lost each one because they failed to score in the final frame. Not a single fourth-quarter point against No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Miami or No. 5 Texas A&M, and Napier remains in charge of the offense and the play-calling despite being urged to give them up.
Florida also didn’t score in the final 15 minutes against No. 9 Texas in the Swamp, holding on for a 29-21 victory in which the Longhorns had a chance to tie down the stretch because Napier went into safe mode with 13 minutes to play. It was as eye-opening an ending as any of Napier’s losses since botching a game against Arkansas in the Swamp in 2023.
The bottom line: Florida hasn’t shown enough progress between Napier’s first game — a win against No. 7 Utah in the Swamp — and his 45th game to merit more time. And no one expects that to change. Not administrators. Not boosters. Not Napier’s staff.
Florida rallied down the stretch, won its final four games and finished 8-5 in 2024. Since showing progress was the goal, another five losses were considered Napier’s firing point this season. But the outcries continue to get louder the longer Stricklin waits, especially with the losses mounting and other schools making moves.
Even Napier’s three young children seem to understand what’s happening.
“Charlie told me about eight times the week of the Texas game. He says, ‘Dad, we need to beat Texas.’ And he’s 8 years old,” said Napier, who replaced Dan Mullen in December 2021 after four years at Louisiana-Lafayette. “They love it. This is what they know, right? There’s no happiness without disappointment. There’s no growth without struggle. There’s no good days without bad days.
“Trust me, they remember the days when we won a bunch of games (in Louisiana). So they see the good side and the bad side, and that’s not going away. … There’s going to be criticism and there’s going to be praise. The key is that you got to know who you are, what you stand for. You got to be consistent.”
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