Despite high hopes, the 2025 season could not have started much worse for the Florida football program. After an expectedly dominant 55-0 win over Long Island in their season opener, the Florida football team has lost three games in a row, each more convincingly than the next. The Gators have clearly regressed across the board, and there's no question that head coach Billy Napier's seat is certainly warm. However, one of his predecessors, Urban Meyer, thinks Napier will stay put for now. The reason, according to recruiting website On3 on X, formerly Twitter, is largely due to Napier's buyout.

“NEW: Urban Meyer believes the buyout cost will save Billy Napier's job at Florida: “I don’t see them making the change right now with $21M… Where you getting that money from?” posted the recruiting site. “Because the money’s already distributed. The money’s accounted for.”

Meyer is right. Napier's buyout is currently almost $21 million. If the Florida football program decides to fire its current head coach, it will have to pay him 50 percent of the buyout within 30 days. Since the Florida football team still has a decent chance to go bowling, it's unlikely that the Florida football brass decides to make a move on Napier. If Meyer is also right about the buyout being the main reason why Napier is still in charge, then would the Gators make a move once the season is over? Or will things break down even more over the next few weeks?

Article Continues Below

When will Florida football get back to the heights of the Urban Meyer era?

University of Florida head coach Urban Meyer hollers in approval as he reacts to the call on the fumble being overturned and the ball being returned to Florida with 5 minutes to play in the 2nd quarter of the Florida-Georgia game on Saturday, October 29, 2005, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville.
Mandatory Credit: © Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While the Florida football program is on a bye this coming weekend, its schedule does not ease up once October rolls around. The Gators will host 10th-ranked Texas on October 4th, before traveling to ninth-ranked Texas A&M the weekend after that. An SEC schedule does not let up, as hosting Mississippi State after the Aggies' trip might be the Florida football team's best chance at a conference win.

If Napier loses to the Bulldogs at home, it's certainly possible that the Florida football program will finish the season 1-11. They won't be favored in their next two matchups. Furthermore, they'll be underdogs to fifth-ranked Georgia, No.13 Ole Miss, No.15 Tennessee, and No.8 Florida State. That would be one of the worst seasons in Florida football history. Can Napier and the Gators save their season? Or will the buyout prove to be too tempting?