Billy Napier’s first season at the helm of the Florida Gators football program was not quite as successful on the field as most had hoped, but keeping in mind both the turnover of talent as well as what remained after the departure of [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag], the first-year head coach dealt with some significant challenges on the sidelines last fall.
Over the course of history, the debut campaign for new head coaches has been a bit of a crap shoot, with some like [autotag]Steve Spurrier[/autotag] getting off to strong starts to their tenure while others like [autotag]Charlie Pell[/autotag] starting off at rock-bottom. Much of their successes — or lack thereof — were dependent upon the strength of the roster left by the previous staff but there are also other variables in play as well.
Below is a look at every single first-year head coach of Florida’s football program dating back to Jack Forsythe, who kicked things off in Gainesville way back in 1906. This list should give the reader a good data set with which to compare the Gators’ current skipper to those of the past.