Florida says coach Billy Napier will return for a fourth season despite 15-18 record

By MARK LONG The Associated Press

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida coach Billy Napier is getting a fourth season to try to get the Gators back to their winning ways.

Athletic director Scott Stricklin made the announcement in a “letter to Gator Nation” on Thursday that said the team is “building a foundation that promises greater success next season and beyond.”

The Gators (4-4, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) have made significant strides since lopsided losses to Miami and Texas A&M during the first month of the season. Napier shored up the team’s 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 made Stricklin’s decision a relatively easy one despite Napier’s 15-18 mark in Gainesville ahead of Saturday’s game at No. 5 Texas.

“UF’s commitment to excellence and a championship-caliber program is unwavering,” Stricklin wrote. “In these times of change across college athletics, we are dedicated to a disciplined, stable approach that is focused on long-term, sustained success for Gator athletes, recruits and fans.

“I am confident that Billy will meet the challenges and opportunities ahead.”

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.

“Before the season started, nobody expected us to be anything,” running back Ja’Kobi Jackson said Wednesday. “But we’re proving to people day-in and day-out that we can play in the SEC, that we’re capable of beating teams.”

In September, no one saw that coming. And 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.

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.

“Everything Coach Napier says, everybody’s bought into it,” Jackson said. “We’re playing for each other at the end of the day. We play for everyone that’s in this building.”

Florida would owe Napier roughly $26 million by firing him in 2024. His buyout drops to around $19 million in 2025, although that figure would be considerably higher with his legion of assistants and behind-the-scenes help.

Even with Napier remaining in place, he’s still likely to open next year on the proverbial hot seat. And for good reason.

Florida is 2-12 against ranked teams 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 opted to give Napier a vote of confidence, especially with his team so banged up. The Gators could be down their top two quarterbacks, including Lagway, their top two running backs, two of their top four receivers and four cornerbacks when they take the field in Austin.

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