On Saturday evening, the Florida football program reached yet another new low with a home loss against the South Florida Bulls that sent their home fans home shocked (although they probably shouldn't be). The Gators made an array of mistakes in this game, ranging from turnovers to a horrible safety late in the game that resulted in an overcooked snap on a punt.
A lot of the criticism, as is usually the case, has been directed at Florida football head coach Billy Napier, who saved his job with a stellar stretch of play down the stretch of last year but may not be so fortunate after this latest setback.
Napier has long drawn the ire of the Gators' fanbase for his unsuccessful tenure in Gainesville, and recently, a former Florida player under him, Jonathan Odom, made a wild, possibly reputation-ruining accusation against the coach.
“Basically in 2023 while playing on half a leg, I got a concussion one (sic) this play…” wrote former Gator Jonathan Odom on X, formerly Twitter, via Thomas Goldcamp of On3 Sports. “After I didn’t clear protocol after 2 weeks they called me in and accused me of faking it. That’s just the start of it.
“After I told my parents my dad (who is in the UF hall of fame) called him and confronted him and he said it was ‘just a motivation tactic.'”
“People were mad I left…” he added. “I didn’t want to leave. After my talk with [Billy Napier] I knew what it was.”
Tough times in Florida
![Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier looks on during fall football practice at Sanders Indoor Practice Fields at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, August 7, 2025. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]](https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Gators-HC-Billy-Napier.jpg)
Florida entered this year with much bigger expectations, but those are now out the window with Saturday's home loss to an upstart USF squad that has now beaten two straight ranked opponents to start the year.
Up next for Florida is a road game against LSU. Many Gators fans will be hoping that it's a new person coaching the team by the time that one kicks off.