Significant expectations were placed on the 2025 Florida football team for improvement this season. They started slow last season but caught fire and won eight games. It has been a rough start to the 2025 season, highlighted by a shocking loss to South Florida at home and a sloppy loss to LSU on the road. The start has been awful and has brought up questions about Billy Napier's job.
At Florida's Monday press conference, Billy Napier was asked about his job, whether he feels added pressure, and whether he thinks he is coaching for his career. Napier did not address it and said he believes he is trying to solve problems with the current team.
This was his response, and he quickly moved on after, according to Nick Marcinko of GatorCountry.com: “I feel like I'm trying to solve problems.”
The Florida football program is in the middle of a brutal four-game stretch that started with a road trip to LSU. Next up is a road game against Miami. Then, they play Texas at home and end it with a road game against Texas A&M. Based on how the Gators looked against LSU, fans do not have much hope and are at a loss with the program.
The good news is that it will immediately offer Napier a way to prove himself to the administration. If not, that $20.4 million buyout will become much more attractive if the Gators keep struggling.
DJ Lagway threw five interceptions in the loss to LSU, and before the game kicked off, the teams fought as tensions boiled over between the two.
Billy Napier's tenure so far has been a failure. He is 20-21, and if it weren't for a late-season hot streak, the Gators would have had three straight losing seasons last year. Florida brought him back because they thought that was progress, but based on the previous two weeks, it seems like it was more of an outlier.
One of the most significant issues facing Florida this season was the schedule, and they blew the game against South Florida; with that gauntlet of games coming up, it becomes much more critical. Due to this schedule, the Gators could play solid football the rest of the way and still end up with a 7-5 record. So, in that instant, the question becomes, would the administration still keep him?
It remains to be seen, but right now, things do not look suitable for Napier's tenure with the Florida Gators, and there is a high chance it gets worse before it gets better.
