Billy Napier’s first two years as the head coach of the Florida Gators haven’t gone so well, leading CBS Sports to give him a D grade when looking at the nation’s second-year coaches.
Napier getting a low grade isn’t so surprising. Florida is 11-14 under him, and the team took a step back in Year 2 finishing the season ineligible for a bowl game. Mix in an NIL fiasco that lost Napier an elite quarterback in Jaden Rashada, and it suddenly seems fortunate that the Florida head coach finished with anything but a failing grade.
“I’m not sure there’s a coach at the Power Five level on a hotter seat than Napier,” CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli wrote. “After an uninspiring 6-7 record in 2022, the Gators were less inspiring in 2023 amid a 5-7 campaign. What had been a great recruiting class fizzled as signing day approached and the losses mounted. The Gators head into 2024 with one of the toughest schedules in the country and not a lot of confidence in their coach.”
Standards are high at Florida, but the good news for Napier is that he doesn’t need to make the College Football Playoff to save his job. The seat is hot, but a 7-6 season likely buys him another year in the Swamp.
Napier spent much of his first two years building a winning culture off the field in Gainesville. Now it’s time for that to translate to on-the-field success, even against the nation’s toughest schedule.
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.