Why Florida is sticking with Billy Napier as head coach | College Football Enquirer
Yahoo Sports national columnist Dan Wetzel, senior college sports reporter Ross Dellenger and Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde discuss Florida's decision to retain Billy Napier as the head football coach of the program. Hear the full conversation on the “College Football Enquirer” podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
Billy Napier will return.
The Gators are four and four.
A couple things on this one.
I was wondering whether they would have to perform really well at Texas this weekend to keep his job.
That kind of tough with DJ L way hurt.
They have played pretty well.
It's a brutal schedule.
They lost to Miami, they lost to Texas A and M, they lost to Tennessee and they lost to Georgia and other than the Miami game, it was not embarrassing in any of those pat.
What do you think of, uh, Billy Napier getting another season?
Big, big decision?
I, I don't mind it.
I think it's fair.
Uh I have been completely underwhelmed by Billy Napier so far, but as you pointed out, they've played better in difficult circumstances as the season has gone along.
They're playing an incredibly tough schedule, hardest schedule in the country and it would be completely unfair to try to judge Billy Napier on the remainder of this season if they're gonna have a third string walk on Yale quarterback as their guy, if they have to start a third stringer and you're gonna say Billy Napier's job is in the balance going at Texas LSU, Mississippi.
Now, that's ridiculous.
So you make the decision now, uh, you ride it out now, we'll say, I mean, coming into the season, we all said he's gotta do better and his record is not gonna be better.
If anything, it's probably gonna be a third straight losing season, which at Florida is really hard to justify.
But I think the arc of this season and probably the, the wisdom of waiting and not making that move early when everyone in the world and myself included, expected it when they were one and two is to let things play out.
And we've talked about it on the pod plenty that there's been more patience with coaches, partly because money's tighter and this is a $26 million situation here.
So give him one more year, see how it goes there.
Scott Strickland, Billy Napier Sink or swim together in 2025.