From Gainesville, Florida, the flash apparently official, Gators coach Billy Napier has been fired.
We all saw this one coming, even those far outside the confines of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, though some may have foreseen it long before others.
Being intimately familiar with Gator Nation, I can tell you the signs that Napier was a doomed head coach were there early and often, as much as some (myself included) wanted to bury their heads in the sand.
Whenever something ends, regardless of outcome, I like to get all sentimental and do a little reminiscing.
So, if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to take a walk down memory lane and relive five moments we all should’ve known Napier was DOA in FLA.
2022 vs. Vanderbilt
I don’t often like to castigate coaches for results on the field in year one.
The first season of a head coach’s tenure is usually a freebie, marked by culture issues and being saddled with subpar personnel from the previous staff.
This game felt a little different, though, as Napier’s Gators were coming off back-to-back double-digit wins over SEC opponents and taking on a Vanderbilt team that was a nearly a three-touchdown underdog.
At the time, many chalked this one up as a sleepy start in Nashville (mind you, these aren’t the Commodores of today), but we all should’ve seen this for what it was: a troubling data point.
2023 vs. Utah
Coming off a disappointing off-season, many in Gainesville were skeptical of Napier’s dubious portal additions.
Little did they know, that would be the least of their concerns.
The 2023 game against Utah was a comedy of errors, featuring an inept offense and a now-infamous special teams gaffe in which two players were on the field wearing number 3 at once.
Many of the big money boosters I spoke to following this game were notably frustrated following the conclusion of this debacle in Salt Lake City.
It was year two, and the kid gloves were starting to come off.
If only they knew how far this program had yet to fall.
Slide To End 2023
If there is one thing I want you to take away from this article, and the Billy Napier era in general, is that he and his staff were allergic to momentum in any way, shape, or form.
Heading into the final five-game stretch of 2023, the Gators managed to shake off the early-season letdown in Utah and a stinker in Lexington to find themselves at 5-2 after their bye week.
Napier and his team managed to drop all five of the matchups left on the schedule, including games against Arkansas, Missouri, and FSU in which the Gators led in the second-half.
Not only did Florida fail to make it to a bowl game after starting the season 5-2, but their recruiting class, which was ranked third in the country on November 1, fell out of the top-10 by signing day.
It was the worst recruiting flop by a sitting head coach in Gainesville since classes started being ranked in the early 2000s, offering more proof this wasn’t the job for Billy.
2024 Miami
As Billy Napier entered his all-important third season as Florida’s head coach, there was equal amounts of optimism and skepticism.
The Gators signed a relatively small but star-studded recruiting class that included the likes of QB DJ Lagway and LB Myles Graham, as well as a top-10 portal class.
The pieces were in place to make a run at what some would deem a respectable season for the University of Florida, relative to the new, lowered standards.
That would all come crashing down as in-state rival Miami traveled to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and stomped a mudhole in the Gators.
A program that had hired their coach (Mario Cristobal) the same year Florida did was making the Gators look like they didn’t belong at the FBS level.
While many prescient fans were out on Napier long before this 41-17 drubbing, even the most optimistic Florida fanatics were starting to sour on the beleaguered head coach.
Offensive Coordinator-Gate
Somehow, the Gators were able to salvage the 2024 season following early-season blowouts to both Miami and Texas A&M in The Swamp to finish 8-5.
This included wins over ranked opponents like LSU and Ole Miss, proving that maybe there was something more to this Billy Napier guy.
Boosters weren’t convinced, and along with AD Scott Stricklin, pleaded with Napier to hire a dedicated offensive coordinator to take playcalling duties off his plate.
Since offense was the biggest problem and Napier was the OC, it made sense to force a move of this regard, but when the offseason came and went, an all-too familiar face was still holding the play sheet.
Despite claims that he would hire a playcaller, Napier had just promoted tight ends coach Russ Callaway in name only, entrenching himself as the man calling the shots on offesne.
After this, any sliver of hope in Gainesville evaporated, and the fate of Billy Napier as head coach of the Florida Gators had been sealed.
After losses to USF, LSU, Miami, and Texas A&M in which the offense sputtered and failed to record more than a TD in the four combined fourth quarters of those games, it was all-but decided Napier would be out the door.
While it’s sad to see a nice guy like Napier get shown the door, his faults are entirely his own and were easily correctable.
Thanks to his stubborn nature, the Gators will be looking to hire their fifth head coach since Urban Meyer stepped down less than 15 years earlier.
Welcome to the coaching carousel, Florida fans, what took you so long?
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