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Florida football head coach Billy Napier will remain in his position, UF athletic director Scott Stricklin announced today.
In a statement via X, formerly Twitter, Stricklin expressed confidence in Napier's ability to “meet the challenges and opportunities ahead.” Additionally, Stricklin, who has been Florida's athletic director since 2016, called on “Gator Nation to continue standing behind Billy and his dedicated team while we work together to build a championship program.”
Once thought to have potentially the hottest seat in college football, Napier's job security had seemingly increased recently after strong performances against top-10 teams Tennessee and Georgia. Napier and the Gators began the season with two decisive losses in the first three games; the first came to in-state rival Miami, and the second vs. SEC foe Texas A&M.
Since then, Florida is 3-2 with wins over Mississippi State, UCF, and Kentucky, the latter of which had beaten the Gators three straight years.
Another potential factor in Napier staying, according to ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel, is that the majority of the Florida football program's NIL resources are invested into underclassmen.
“There’s a feeling in the program that star freshman QB DJ Lagway is aligned with Napier, and Napier can grow this core of young players,” Thamel posted on X.
Thamel also said that firing Napier now would cost Florida $26 million from the buyout and an estimated $40 million total.
In three seasons in Gainesville, Napier is 15-18 and has yet to record a winning season. To do so in 2024, Napier, who is without starting quarterback Graham Mertz for the season and potentially Lagway for a few weeks, would need to beat two of the Gators' four remaining opponents, as well as the bowl game.
Florida visits Austin to take on No. 5 Texas this weekend before returning home to play No. 15 LSU and No. 16 Ole Miss. As is tradition, the Gators will finish up their season against rival Florida State, which is 1-8.
Before being hired by Florida, Napier served as the head coach of Louisiana, where from 2018 to 2021 he went 40-12, won four division titles, two conference championships, and led the Ragin' Cajuns to the best three seasons in program history.
