Billy Napier Ripped By CFB Fans Despite Graham Mertz, Florida's Win vs. UCF
Oct 6, 2024
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 14: Graham Mertz #15 of the Florida Gators looks to pass during the second half of a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 14, 2024 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
The Florida Gators defeated the University of Central Florida Knights 24-13 on Saturday, led by quarterback Graham Mertz, who completed 19 of 23 passes for 179 yards and one touchdown.
Despite the Gators' win, which improves their record to 3-2, fans are frustrated with head coach Billy Napier and his team's lackluster efforts in the second half.
In his third year with the Gators, Napier has a 13-16 record and achieved a career-high AP poll ranking of No. 12 in 2022.
There is plenty of excitement surrounding the program with Mertz's hot play and the ability to get quarterback DJ Lagway into the mix, who went a perfect 4-for-4 on completions for 50 yards on Saturday on top of Mertz's performance.
However, fans are questioning how much longer the Gators can stay afloat with a head coach who seems to lack fire in his and his offense's play calling during the second half.
This isn't the first time Napier has faced criticism for taking his foot off the gas. Last week, he received similar backlash after the Gators led the Mississippi State Bulldogs 28-14 at halftime. Coming out of the break, Florida added 17 points while allowing the Bulldogs to score 14.
Florida fans are excited about the Gators' early success but are definitely concerned about how much longer they can maintain it under Napier's timidly led offense.
30 games into his tenure. We finally get some emotion out of Billy Napier.
An absolutely embarrassing coaching performance from Billy Napier. This second half has been abysmal. This guy should be fired tonight, despite the win.
The Gators will face No. 4 ranked Tennessee next Saturday, following the Volunteers' upset loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks.
CFB Insiders: Florida Job Not 'as Attractive' as Ole Miss, Missouri amid Struggles
Sep 21, 2024
GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 14:Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier looks to the scoreboard during a college football game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Florida Gators on September 14th, 2024 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL. (Photo by Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
As speculation about Billy Napier's future as Florida's head coach continues to get louder, the Gators may have trouble landing a big-name replacement if they decide to make a change.
On Saturday's episode of Big Noon Kickoff, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic and Fox Sports reported the feeling among people around college football think Florida "may not be as attractive of a job" compared to programs like Ole Miss and Missouri right now due to the program's ongoing struggles.
"Right now, people inside the business think that Florida may not be as attractive of a job as Missouri or Ole Miss."@BruceFeldmanCFB gives the latest on Billy Napier's future at Florida and the potential hurdles facing the Gators if they want to make a change 🐊 pic.twitter.com/m1OXm0AAZl
The overwhelming sentiment is that Napier's firing is a matter of when, not if. ESPN's Pete Thamel reported on Tuesday "no one" expects the 45-year-old will be coaching the Gators in 2025.
Thamel did note that depending on the timing of a move, Florida could be on the hook for around $27 million between Napier's salary and buyout.
It's been a struggle for the program to find a head coach really ever since Urban Meyer left after the 2010 season. The Gators have had seven different people between full-timers and interims coach at least one game for them since the start of 2011.
Florida can flex its financial muscle to appeal to a marquee coach. The program opened an $85 million football training facility in February 2023. There is also an internal belief that it has a top-10 NIL budget in the country, per Thamel.
Napier received a seven-year deal that pays him $7.4 million annually when he was hired by the Gators in December 2021. He was brought in to replace Dan Mullen, who was fired after a 5-6 start to the 2021 season.
There was a lot of enthusiasm for what Napier could do at the time of his hiring. He was coming off an impressive four-year run at Louisiana with a 40-12 record, including three consecutive double-digit win seasons from 2019 to '21.
Napier has been unable to carryover that success to the SEC. He has a 12-16 overall record entering Saturday with seven consecutive losses against FBS opponents dating back to last season.
Florida's lone victory this season was a 45-7 blowout against Samford. Its been outscored 74-37 in losses to Miami and Texas A&M.
Nick Saban: Florida's Woes 'Not Just' About Napier, Coaching; Talks Facilities, NIL
Sep 21, 2024
GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 14: Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier talks into the headset during a college football game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Florida Gators on September 14th, 2024 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL. (Photo by Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Former University of Alabama head football coach and current ESPN analyst Nick Saban defended University of Florida head coach Billy Napier on Saturday amid the Gators' disappointing 1-2 start.
Speaking on ESPN College GameDay (h/t On3.com's Matt Connolly), Saban suggested the university itself is more to blame for the football team's struggles than Napier, citing shortcomings with regard to team facilities and the name, image and likeness (NIL) collective:
"Well, I think maybe the problem isn't the coaches. You know, they've been through four coaches since [Steve] Spurrier and Urban Meyer, who both created a tremendous culture of winning there. And sometimes the fanbase can just think, 'Well we can show up and expect to win.' And not make the commitment to the program that you need to make to be able to continue to make the changes and investments you need to make to keep up with changing times.
"Things change. … They should've taken advantage of building better facilities when Urban Meyer was there. What's there collective been like? How have they adapted to this new model of college football? So it's not just the coaches. When you've been through four coaches that haven't had success, there's something else that people should be looking at."
Entering the 2024 season, the Gators had finished below .500 in three consecutive campaigns, including each of Napier's first two years at the helm.
To Saban's point, Florida was an elite program during the tenures of Spurrier and Meyer, winning three national titles during their 18 combined years at the helm.
From 1990 to 2001, the Gators went 122-27-1 under Spurrier and won the national championship in 1996.
After Spurrier left Gainesville at the conclusion of the 2001 season, Ron Zook took over as head coach, but he departed after just three seasons, giving way to Meyer.
During Meyer's six-year run at Florida, the Gators were 65-15 and won national titles in both 2006 and 2008. Remarkably, three of Meyer's six seasons in charge saw Florida finish with a 13-1 record.
Since Meyer's departure, the Gators have posted four seasons with double-digit wins, but they have not been national title contenders.
The decision-makers at the school have seemingly been searching for the secret sauce to get back to that point, which is likely why Florida has cycled through so many different head coaches in recent years.
Will Muschamp spent four years at the helm, followed by three years of Jim McElwain and four years of Dan Mullen.
Mullen led the Gators to a bowl game in each of his four seasons, won double-digit games twice and finished ranked inside the top 10 three times, but it wasn't enough to prevent his firing late in the 2021 campaign.
While Mullen didn't achieve the same levels of success as Spurrier or Meyer, Florida fans would likely love to get back to the types of seasons they were having under Mullen given how things have gone thus far under Napier.
Prior to taking the Florida job, Napier built something special at Louisiana, going 40-12 over four seasons, including three straight seasons with at least 10 wins.
That suggests Napier has what it takes to be a great collegiate head coach, and it perhaps lends credence to what Saban said about some deeper issues within Florida's football program.
Per 247Sports, Florida had the 13th-ranked recruiting class for 2024 and is ranked 21st so far for 2025. While those aren't terrible rankings, the Gators ranked first in Meyer's final season in 2010, and they may need to get back to those levels in order to compete for an SEC title and a College Football Playoff spot.
For now, Florida will rely on Napier's coaching to turn things around this season, and it starts with a road game against Mississippi State on Saturday.
Urban Meyer: 'Ship Has Sailed' on Potential Return as Florida HC amid Struggles
Sep 18, 2024
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 31: Urban Meyer is seen prior to the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Georgia Bulldogs in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 31, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Amid questions surrounding head coach Billy Napier's job security at Florida following the team's 1-2 start to the 2024 season, it sounds like a reunion with a former head coach won't be an option for the Gators.
During an appearance on The Triple Option podcast, Urban Meyer shot down the possibility of returning to coach Florida, saying, "That ship has sailed."
Urban Meyer on potential return as Florida coach: ‘That ship has sailed’
Meyer, who coached the Gators from 2005 to 2010 and led the team to national championships in 2006 and 2008, added that he still actively roots for Florida to succeed, but he has no plans of returning to the sidelines in Gainesville.
"I want that program to do well, so bad," Meyer said. "I know so many people there and we gave a big part of our life to that program. But that ship has sailed."
A three-time national champion coach in the collegiate ranks, Meyer hasn't returned to coaching since his failed stint in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021 which saw him get fired before the end of the season following his 2-11 record at the helm. ESPN's Paul Finebaum floated the possibility of Meyer returning to coach Florida during an appearance on The Matt Barrie Show this week.
"Well, I mean, we know there were a lot of bad feelings," Finebaum said. "I don't think those feelings are still there. It's been a long time. And one thing you can't deny about Urban Meyer is he came within a paper clip of winning three national championships in four years there, and that's all that matters."
For now, it appears that the Gators will have to try and make it work with Napier before the season gets too out of hand. Florida will try to get back to its winning ways when it visits Mississippi State for a road matchup on Saturday.
GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 14: Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier talks into the headset during a college football game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Florida Gators on September 14th, 2024 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL. (Photo by Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Florida head coach Billy Napier hasn't discussed his future with the school following a 33-20 loss to Texas A&M on Saturday.
When asked about meeting with the team regarding his job status, Napier told reporters that "none" of those talks have occurred (per Nick Schultz of On3.com).
ESPN's Chris Low reported on Saturday that "high-ranking" boosters have gathered the money to fund the head coach's contract buyout cost of roughly $26 million.
Napier kept his focus on Florida's upcoming matchup with Mississippi State instead of his job security.
"These are all hypothetical scenarios," he said, per Schultz. "I think for me, I'm gonna try to model what I would expect from our players and some of those things I just talked about, I think that's the whole key is that as a whole staff and throughout the organization, we have to model what we would expect from the players and want from the players."
"And that, for me, is total focus on the next opportunity to improve," he added.
Napier signed a seven-year, $51.8 million contract to join the Gators in Dec. 2021 after leading Louisiana to double-digit wins in three straight seasons from 2019 to 2021.
He hasn't experienced the same level of success in Gainesville, finishing with a record of 11-14 through his first two years with the program. The Gators are just 1-2 to open their 2024 campaign, representing the team's first losing record after three games in 32 years (h/t 247Sports' Graham Hall).
Napier also has a record of just 6-11 against SEC opponents with Florida.
If the Gators are unable to defeat the Bulldogs on Saturday, speculation surrounding Napier's job security and the potential buyout of the remainder of his contract will continue to increase.
Report: Billy Napier's Fate Sealed for Florida Boosters; Latest Contract Buyout Info
Sep 15, 2024
GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 14: Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier walks during the gator walk before a college football game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Florida Gators on September 14th, 2024 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL. (Photo by Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Florida is a program that expects to compete for championships, but it has been nowhere close during Billy Napier's tenure.
That has reportedly landed him firmly on the hot seat.
Nick de la Torre of On3 reported that boosters "started to openly wonder about" the coach's future following the season-opening loss to Miami, and his fate is now "sealed" in many of their eyes after Saturday's loss to Texas A&M.
De la Torre explained that Napier's seven-year, $51.8 million contract runs through 2028, and the school would owe 85 percent of the remaining amount if he was fired without cause.
"The payments would be made as follows: 50 percent paid within 30 days of termination, the remainder paid in equal installments (12.5%) over four years, with the first installment paid on the first July 15th following such termination and each July 15 thereafter until paid in full," de la Torre wrote.
"If Florida parts ways with Napier during or after the 2024 football season they will owe him approximately $25.67 million."
Although de la Torre reported there would be a Board of Trustees meeting on Sunday, it should be noted Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated cited a source who said reports of a Board of Trustees meeting were "not true."
Forde cited a second source who said such a meeting would need public notice on the website, which hasn't happened.
Florida hired Napier ahead of the 2022 season after he went 40-12 in four years with Louisiana.
His tenure with the Ragin' Cajuns saw him win two bowl games and finish his final campaign with a 12-1 record. Three straight double-digit win seasons under the head coach was quite the turnaround for Louisiana considering it had never won double-digit games in program history prior to his arrival.
Yet things have been much different for the Gators.
Napier is just 12-16 overall and 6-11 in SEC play at Florida. The team has lost seven consecutive games against Power 4 opponents, including a loss to rival Florida State.
Things likely aren't going to get much better this season with upcoming games against Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, Tennessee and LSU, among others. The Gators will be facing national championship contenders a number of times the rest of the way and look nowhere ready to compete at that level.
It is a far cry from when they won two national championships under Urban Meyer and another under Steve Spurrier during the program's golden ages.
"We're not getting the result on the field right now that we want, but ultimately that's how you're judged to some degree in this arena, so it comes with the territory," Napier told reporters. "We all understand that as coaches. So we have to play more competitive football. We have to play better-quality football. That's my responsibility."
Florida lost 41-17 against Miami and 33-20 against Texas A&M.
Highly touted freshman quarterback DJ Lagway is one of the only reasons for long-term optimism, but he threw two interceptions against the Aggies after throwing for 456 yards, three touchdowns and zero picks in the win over Samford.
Next up for the Gators are games against Mississippi State and UCF, which will be close to must-wins for Napier considering the gauntlet that is waiting in the later portion of the schedule.
Billy Napier Put on Hot Seat By CFB Fans After Mertz, Florida Lose vs. Texas A&M
Sep 15, 2024
GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 14: Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier walks during the gator walk before a college football game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Florida Gators on September 14th, 2024 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL. (Photo by Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Billy Napier's search for his first winning season at Florida is off to a rocky start in 2024.
Florida lost 33-20 to Texas A&M on Saturday, dropping the Gators' record to 1-2 and frustrating fans watching the third-year head coach.
I honestly was rooting for and believed Napier would do really well at Florida….its jarring to see week in and week out them outplayed
Florida looks AWFUL. If Gators lose at Mississippi State next week do they go ahead and fire Billy Napier before September even ends? First bye week is then, gives interim some time before UCF.
The loss especially stung for Florida after Texas A&M entered the contest with redshirt freshman Marcel Reed starting in place of injured quarterback Conner Weigman.
If Texas A&M walks into Gainesville with a backup quarterback and beats Florida, Billy Napier will be the definition of fired.
Thought Billy Napier could make it into October with that UCF game being the potential last straw, but hard to see him surviving a second blowout loss in three weeks, especially to a first-year coach playing a backup QB. https://t.co/rXlACzKFNM
After allowing a field goal on the game's opening drive, the Gators fell into a 20-point first-half deficit before intercepting the Aggies on the final play of the second quarter.
Florida responded by opening the second half with a touchdown pass from Graham Mertz.
Then DJ Lagway, who was named Mertz's backup by Napier earlier this season, came in on the following Gators drive and was unable to score.
Mertz was handed the ball again on the next Florida possession, which ended with a pick-six.
Mertz went 12-of-15 for 195 yards, a touchdown and an interception in the loss, while Lagway connected on six of 13 pass attempts for 54 yards, a touchdown and two picks.
Billy Napier doesn't put DJ Lagway in until Florida is down 20-0.
Then, he goes back to Graham Mertz - who leads a TD drive... and then puts back in DJ Lagway.
Just no rhyme or reason to pretty anything going on in Gainesville right now
Florida signed Napier to a seven-year, $51.8 million contract in 2021 to take over for previous head coach Dan Mullen.
The Gators posted a 6-7 record and made a bowl game appearance during his first season with the program in 2022 before the team's record dropped to 5-7 in 2023.
Florida opened the 2024 season with a 41-17 loss to Miami, the most points allowed in a home opener in program history.
The Gators won 45-7 over Samford in Week 2 before dropping Saturday's contest.
Texas A&M recorded 488 total yards of offense on Saturday, marking the most yards the Gators have allowed since Miami racked up 549 in the season opener.
Napier has just over a month to turn his team's season around before a difficult back stretch of the campaign pits the Gators against top-ranked conference opponents including No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Texas and No. 5 Ole Miss this fall.
Florida returns to action next Saturday with another SEC contest, and the team's first road game of the season, against Mississippi State.
DJ Lagway Hyped By CFB Fans to Be Florida's QB1 After Win in 1st Start vs. Samford
Sep 8, 2024
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 07: DJ Lagway #2 of the Florida Gators warms up before the start of a game against the Samford Bulldogs at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 07, 2024 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
The Florida Gators may have a quarterback controversy brewing.
After a 41-17 loss to Miami in Week 1, a tough situation was made worse when starting quarterback Graham Mertz suffered a concussion and was ruled out for Week 2 against Samford.
In came true freshman DJ Lagway and the results were explosive.
While Samford isn't a powerhouse program, it was still the best opponent that Lagway has received a start against. He quickly got up to speed, going 18-of-25 for 456 yards and three touchdowns while also adding 16 yards on five carries in the 45-7 Gators win.
This was a significant improvement from his limited action in Week 1 after Mertz went down and his play does promote a thought about Mertz being demoted to the backup role when he is healthy.
Fans took to social media to praise Lagway's debut and plead for him to get another starting opportunity in Week 3.
I’m sorry, but you can’t start Graham Mertz next week. You just cannot take the ball away from DJ Lagway. I know it’s Samford, but Mertz would never be able to step up and make that throw.
It’s not that Mertz deserves to lose the job. It’s that Lagway deserves to win it.
Oh my goodness DJ Lagway.. The freshman QB came under pressure and started rolling to his right before dropping a 41-yard dime to Aidan Mizell for a touchdown.
Make that seven 20-plus-yard throws, including five 30-plus. Lagway's 324 passing yards the most by a UF true freshman
Lagway was a big deal before arriving in Gainesville. He was the No. 7 player, No. 2 quarterback and No. 2 overall player from Texas in the Class of 2024, per 247 Sports' composite rankings. He committed to the Gators over programs like Alabama, Arkansas and Baylor and figured to take over as the starter in 2025.
However, the 19-year-old already looks competent and giving him quality reps may allow Florida to develop him faster and have him ready to be a Heisman contender in 2025 and beyond.
Head coach Billy Napier has a difficult decision to make and he will likely have to make it this week. The Gators will face Texas A&M in Week 3.
Florida's Billy Napier: DJ Lagway Expected to Start vs. Samford After Loss to Miami
Sep 4, 2024
GAINESVILLE, FL - AUGUST 31: Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) scramblesduring a college football game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Florida Gators on August 17, 2024 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL. (Photo by Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is expected to make his first career collegiate start on Saturday against Samford.
Gators head coach Billy Napier told reporters the news on Wednesday evening. Lagway is getting the call with signal-caller Graham Mertz, who started the team's season opener against Miami last Saturday, still advancing through the concussion protocol.
Lagway is a 5-star prospect out of Willis, Texas. 247Sports ranked Lagway third overall on its list of high school class of 2024 prospects.
The freshman took over for Mertz in the second half of the team's 41-17 loss to Miami. Lagway finished with 31 passing yards and an interception on 3-of-6 passing. He fared well on the ground with four carries for 20 yards.
Napier provided his thoughts on Lagway's play.
"I think he did a lot of good things, in particular the second drive there we got to some things where he had success," Napier said, per Grant Grubbs of On3.
"Threw some great individual cuts, some good movement passes, made a few plays with his feet. I thought the players around him played well.
"It's good. One of the positives was he had some success, and we were able to go down and score a touchdown with him in the game. Obviously, he's a young player, but he'll continue to work and improve. He's got a bright future."
Lagway, the 2023 Gatorade Football Player of the Year, has been given a tough task. The Gators are coming off a brutal loss to an in-state rival, and there's naturally a ton of pessimism surrounding Napier and the entire football program at this point.
Florida went 6-7 in Napier's first season (2022) and 5-7 last year. The Gators are staring down another losing record in 2024, given the team's opening loss coupled with a brutal schedule that includes five teams in the Top 20 (No. 1 Georgia, No. 3 Texas, No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 14 Tennessee and No. 18 LSU).
It's unfair to assume Lagway will, or should, come in and save the season. He does provide exceptional potential through the air and on the ground, though, and will get a full chance to show his talents Saturday.
On paper, Florida should win the game. Samford is a Division I-FCS school that opened the season with a 38-29 loss to West Georgia. Of course, it isn't uncommon for FCS schools to upset FBS programs, and Florida is reeling right now.
We'll see how it all goes down soon enough as Lagway and the Gators welcome Samford into town on Saturday for a 7 p.m. ET kickoff.
Billy Napier Shades Florida Fans amid Criticism for Blowout Loss to Cam Ward, Miami
Sep 2, 2024
GAINESVILLE, FL - AUGUST 31: Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier watches his team warm up before a college football game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Florida Gators on August 17, 2024 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL. (Photo by Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Florida Gators opened their 2024 season with a brutal 41-17 loss against rivals Miami, made all the worse because it came in The Swamp.
After the game, head coach Billy Napier said that his team needed to focus on improving and not on the angst from the fanbase following the loss.
"We gotta go to work on the football part," he told reporters Monday. "We've gotta become a more consistent team and we have to execute better. And if we can focus on those things and not necessarily what some guy in his basement is saying in rural central Florida on social media, then we've got a chance to get better."
Napier said that the team and his own coaching weren't above critique, however.
"Sometimes you deserve criticism, you know?" he said. "And I think that's one of those things I would say, I have no excuses, right? So we got to go get it fixed."
Florida will next face FCS school Samford before a tough home matchup against Texas A&M in two weeks, itself smarting after a 23-13 defeat against Notre Dame over the weekend.
