Florida football lost five straight games to end the 2023 regular season, dropping the program to 5-7 without a chance of a bowl game. The Gators have reached depths unseen by several previous generations on the gridiron and the heat is quickly rising under head coach Billy Napier’s seat.
College Sports Wire published its “Tell the Truth Monday” article on Monday, which included the Orange and Blue among the topics included. Staff writer Ryan Haley called out the second-year skipper in his segment, suggesting that he “will never be the coach Florida wants him to be.”
“On paper, Billy Napier’s final two games were admirable. His Florida team came within one play of upsetting a top-10 Missouri team on the road before giving playoff-hopeful Florida State all it could handle at home.
“The final score isn’t the full story, however. In a deciding game against Florida State, with bowl eligibility and ruining a rival’s season on the line, he declined to go for a pair of one-yard fourth downs in the second quarter. After a safety gave Florida the ball up 12-0, he ran the ball on second and 24 instead of trying to push downfield, something backup Max Brown already looked comfortable doing. The Gators had more penalty yards than yards in the fourth quarter, and then Napier pushed back when reporters asked about his team’s discipline.
“Napier’s shown promise on the recruiting trail, which is not nothing. Each of Florida’s last four opponents made a litany of mistakes to give the Gators a window, and Napier’s management and general reluctance to push the ball when he was behind the sticks let those chances to extend leads wither away. The Gators never played with the desperation of being one victory away from bowl eligibility, and unless Napier changes or hands over the play-calling, that lack of urgency will eventually hold back his team once the talent arrives.”
For the time being, that is the end of Florida football for the Gator Nation until the Orange and Blue game. That intrasquad exhibition will take place inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium sometime this coming spring with a date and time yet to be announced.
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