Florida football’s 2023 season is still four and a half months away after Billy Napier’s program wrapped up its spring practice season last Thursday at its annual Orange and Blue game. While there is plenty of time for things to change between now and late August, the college gridiron has become a year-round spectacle leading to ever-mounting pressure on coaches and staff.
The Gators’ second-year skipper is among those who are feeling the heat heading into the summer months after finishing 6-7 overall and a paltry 3-5 in Southeastern Conference competition during his debut campaign. It was also the program’s second-straight sub-.500 season dating back to Dan Mullen’s final year.
USA TODAY Sports columnist Blake Toppmeyer put together his rankings of the five SEC coaches feeling the most pressure ahead of the 2023 season, with Napier coming in at No. 2 among his fellow peers. Here is what Toppmeyer had to offer on the topic.
Napier inherited a thinner-than-usual cupboard at Florida, and his Louisiana tenure took flight in his second season. If Florida musters some patience with Napier, this still could work, but Florida’s schedule is brutal, its quarterback situation is bleak and an SEC coach doesn’t get a second honeymoon season.
The Gators’ head coach finished behind Jimbo Fisher of the Texas A&M Aggies, while Nick Saban (Alabama Crimson Tide), Sam Pittman (Arkansas Razorbacks) and Zach Arnett (Mississippi State Bulldogs) follow Florida, respectively.
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