The Florida Gators will kick off their 2024 season on Saturday against Miami at the Swamp, in a game that could start the Gators season on a great note.
Florida has the hardest schedule in college football this season, and the second half is brutal. The Gators end the season with Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss Georgia, and Florida State, so winning against Miami this weekend is crucial.
Third-year head coach Billy Napier must get off to a hot start this season because he may be coaching for his job this fall.
The 45-year-old head coach has an 11-14 record since joining the Gators in 2022 and has never finished a season over .500 in that span.
The way Florida’s schedule plays out this year, there is a good chance he will not finish over .500 again and could be on the hot seat. However, Florida’s athletic director doesn’t think Napier will go anywhere soon, even if the team has another bad season this year.
Florida’s Athletic Director Says Napier Will Be Around A Long Time
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Florida’s athletic director, Scott Stricklin, was on the Paul Finebaum show Friday afternoon and stated,” I really believe Billy Napier is going to be the coach at Florida for a long, long time.”
“I really believe Billy Napier is going to be the coach at Florida for a long, long time.”
Scott Stricklin says patience with the Gators under Billy Napier will be rewarded: pic.twitter.com/c8trlykrOR
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) August 30, 2024
Stricklin also stated that Napier would get the Gators to the level of competing for championships and playing in meaningful postseason games.
It sounds like Napier will be around Gainesville for a while, which could be bad news for Gators fans. If Florida struggles this season and shows they can’t compete in the new era of the SEC, then what is the point of keeping him around?
Florida can’t run Napier back out next season if this year is a disaster, and think things will change because they will most likely have an easier schedule.
It will be interesting to see what happens to Napier if things go sideways this season. Let’s see if Stricklin is serious about keeping Napier around for a long time.
