Legendary football coach Nick Saban is giving some advice to Florida football's leader Billy Napier. Napier and the Gators lost their Week 1 matchup to Miami Florida, 41-17. Saban says Napier has some things to fix moving forward.

“Well, I think he’s gotta change the culture,” Saban said on the ESPN College GameDay show, and reported by On3. “I mean the culture there is not what it needs to be in terms of the intangible things that you play with. You know, the toughness, the discipline to control the line of scrimmage. They’re just not doing those types of things.”

Napier is most likely on a hot seat in Florida. The coach is now 11-15 at the school, and is in his third season. The team has had back-to-back losing seasons under Napier.

“I know he took over a tough situation, but hopefully you could establish that culture in Year 3,” Saban added.

The Gators will look to change the culture in 2024. Florida hasn't had a winning season since the 2020 season, when Dan Mullen went 8-4.

Florida football must find its footing in the SEC this year

Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) runs with the ball against the Miami Hurricanes during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
Related Florida Football NewsArticle continues below
Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick attends Bay Golf Club against Atlanta Drive GC in the TGL semifinal match at SoFi Center on March 18, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Michael Vick strengthens Norfolk State defense in transfer portal
The Michigan Wolverines offensive line, including Zak Zinter (65), Olusegun Oluwatimi (55), Giovanni El-Hadi (58) and Ryan Hayes (76), and tight ends Matthew Hibner (88) and Joel Honigford, get set against the Illinois Fighting Illini
5-star Michigan football target gets real on upcoming visit
Michigan Wolverines Michigan Wolverines offensive lines coach Sherrone Moore gestures from the sideline during the first quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium.
Michigan football makes 4-star OT’s final 4

Time is frankly running out on Napier to turn the ship around. A third consecutive losing season may get him the axe from the school. Florida football's next contest is Saturday, in a matchup with FCS school Samford.

The Gators looked woeful against Miami in Week 1. The offense struggled to score, posting just 17 points. The defense also looked outmatched, giving up a whopping 529 yards. Miami quarterback Cam Ward gashed the Gators' secondary, throwing for 385 passing yards and three touchdowns. Florida meanwhile gained a total of just 261 yards in the game.

“The first thing I look at is what kind of quarterback do they have, can you win with the guy? And what kind of skill players do they have? Can they make explosive plays,” Saban added. “Because other than turnovers, explosive plays equal outcome of games better than anything else. And I don’t see that at Florida.”

Florida football has some tough conference meetings this season. Texas and Oklahoma are now in the SEC, making the conference even more formidable in football. The Gators have upcoming conference road games at Texas, Tennessee and Georgia. Florida also hosts LSU and Ole Miss, so there are ranked teams all over this Gators schedule. Florida also has a non conference battle with struggling Florida State at the end of the year, so it won't be easy for this team to get to a winning record. Napier must find answers right away to get the team to bowl eligibility this year.

Florida and Samford face off Saturday at 7:00 Eastern. The Bulldogs are 0-1 on the season.