Florida finds its footing under coach Billy Napier. It should be enough to earn him a 4th year

Updated Nov. 6, 2024 6:00 a.m. ET

Associated Press

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — No one can deny Florida’s improvement this season — not even coach Billy Napier’s most ardent critics.

The Gators (4-4, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) have made strides since lopsided losses to Miami and Texas A&M during the first month of the season. Napier shored up his shaky defense, found a potential star in freshman quarterback DJ Lagway and developed young talent on both sides of the ball.

It’s the kind of progress that has caught everyone’s attention, inside and outside the program.

And it should earn Napier at least another season.

No matter what happens down the stretch in November, the Gators seem ready to move forward with Napier as their head coach. And it might not be pretty Saturday considering Lagway is unlikely to play at No. 5 Texas because of a strained left hamstring.

Florida is expected to turn to third-string quarterback Aidan Warner, a transfer from Yale, when it faces the Longhorns (7-1, 3-1) for the first time since 1940.

“We all want things faster, right?” said Napier, who is 15-18 over three seasons in Gainesville. “I think life and football are no different. It tests our patience. …

“Obviously, we were very disappointed in how we started the year. But I have a ton of respect for (this) group of players, the body of work since the open date. … I think the mindset, the competitive spirit, the improvement, the football improvement, I think the tape speaks for itself.”

Most notably, the Gators went toe-to-toe with then-No. 8 Tennessee in Knoxville last month and again with second-ranked Georgia last week in Jacksonville.

Florida lost 23-17 in overtime to the Volunteers after squandering several chances to pull off a stunner. And there are plenty who believe the Gators would have won “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” had Lagway not pulled his hamstring in the second quarter while leading 10-3.

“I feel like the frustrating part throughout the season is we have proven over and over again that we can hang with the best of the best,” tight end Hayden Hansen said. “We consistently come up a little short. We have to finish.”

In September, it appeared Napier wouldn’t even finish the season.

Florida was inept on both sides of the ball in a 41-17 loss to rival Miami to open the season and showed no improvement in a 33-20 loss to Texas A&M two weeks later. Under first-year coach Mike Elko, the Aggies ran for 310 yards, got three touchdowns from a freshman quarterback making his first collegiate start and ended a 10-game road skid.

Napier’s low point came at halftime of that one. As the teams left the field, Napier showed up on stadium big screens for a public service announcement aimed at preventing drinking and driving. He was wildly booed.

But Napier’s popularity started to turn with a dominant victory at Mississippi State and then a bye week that became a series of ultra-competitive practices — on-field work that players point to as the key to getting on track.

While some wondered if the Gators would start giving up or opting out, they dug in for Napier.

“I love this group,” Napier said. “Like I’ve mentioned many times standing up here before, a very unique group in that regard. Wouldn’t have been able to continue to play with the type of effort if we didn’t have pretty unique character."

Florida would owe Napier more than $26 million if it fires him in 2024. Assuming Napier remains in place, he could still open next year on the proverbial hot seat. And for good reason.

Florida is 2-12 against ranked teams under Napier and 1-10 against rivals Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami and Tennessee. And Napier's in-game mistakes continue to mount (see Tennessee), although at a much slower pace.

Nonetheless, growth outweighs growing pains. And with November being a key recruiting month, Florida administrators should consider giving Napier a vote of confidence, especially with his team so banged up. The Gators could be down their top two quarterbacks, their top two running backs, two of their top four receivers and four cornerbacks when they take the field in Austin.

“We’re playing for him,” Hansen said. “This locker room is playing for him and playing hard. There’s belief still. We’re going to go out and try to win out, get bowl eligible, win the bowl game and carry over this big momentum into next season.

“I think there’s been huge strides the first two years. … We’re going to be a dangerous team moving forward.”

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