By Ty Scheiner
After making the jump from the G5 ranks at Louisiana to a college football blue blood in Gainesville at Florida, Billy Napier faced high expectations to help turn around a program that had been craving success since the Urban Meyer era. His first two seasons saw the Gators continuing to be fairly average in the SEC, finishing 6-7 and 5-7, respectively. In this new era of football, coaches don’t have the luxury of time to turn around programs, and fans, administration, and alumni/donors lack patience and are looking for immediate success.
Given the challenges he’s faced, including injuries and one of the toughest schedules in the country, Napier’s 5-5 record through Year three is a testament to his ability to navigate adversity and build a solid culture in Gainesville.
A Hot Seat Heading into 2024
Billy Napier entered the 2024 season as one of the coaches with the hottest seat in college football. Many believed that he wouldn’t last the entire season, maybe not even half of it. The Gators came into the season with the toughest strength of schedule in the nation, which only added to the pressure. There were high expectations for Napier heading into the season, with a young, talented group of players and the hope that we would see the Gators put it all together on the field.
Then. transfer Graham Mertz went down with a season-ending injury, and highly touted recruit DJ Lagway was named the starter. Although there have been growing pains and his own injuries, Lagway has shown flashes of why he should be the future of Gainesville, and his success has given Napier and the Gators hope for what’s to come.
Overcoming Challenges and Showing Resilience
Through ten games this season, Napier has, in my opinion, a very respectable 5-5 record. Yes, this isn’t what Florida Gator fans expect, but it is only Year 3, and this year and I’d argue we’ve seen major improvement compared to the last couple of years under Napier. With one of the toughest schedules in the country, the Gators’ five losses have come to (based on the CFP rankings) (9) Miami, (15) Texas A&M, (7) Tennessee, (12) Georgia, and (3) Texas. Despite the adversity (injuries to Mertz, Eugene Wilson III, Treyaun Webb, among others), the constant drama surrounding the status of their coach, and getting smacked by their in-state rival to open the season, this team could have easily quit and given up. But I think we’ve seen how this team has battled through losses and earned their five wins, showing that they believe in themselves and their coach.
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It’s a testament to the culture that Napier has built and is building in Gainesville. Coming off arguably their best win, beating LSU for the first time since 2018 this past weekend, we saw this resilient group put together a hard-fought game, where their defense came through when it mattered most in the red zone, forcing timely turnovers.
Athletic Director Backs Napier as Gators Stand One Win from Bowl Eligibility
Earlier this month, Athletic Director Scott Stricklin, who hired Napier, gave his commitment that Napier will be back in 2025, which went over well with players and recruits. They say you can tell a lot about a person (or team) by how they handle adversity, and I think we’ve seen how Napier and the Gators haven’t ‘backed down’ this season and continue to fight. Being one win away from bowl eligibility, given this gauntlet of a schedule, is nothing short of impressive for Napier and his staff. He deserves another season with Florida, and if the Gators continue to show improvement in these last few games, it’s something they can carry into the 2025 season.
