Pete Thamel: Florida officials do not have same 'urgency' as fan base to fire Billy Napier
Following a Week 3 loss to Texas A&M, the noise is getting louder around Billy Napier at Florida. The pressure appears to be mounting for Scott Stricklin to move on from the Gators’ head coach, but ESPN’s Pete Thamel said officials don’t have the same “urgency” as the fan base.
Florida is off to a 1-2 start to the season, with both losses coming at home to Power 4 opponents. Napier was already facing hot-seat pressure following an up-and-down first two years at the helm and as the Gators got ready to face one of the toughest schedules in the country.
While Thamel said it feels like Florida will move on from Napier at some point, it might not happen soon. The locker room is still in tact, and it’s also hard to say if there’s someone on the staff who can take over as an interim head coach.
“I had a big story on ESPN.com today looking at what’s next for Florida, and there’s an aura of inevitability that Billy Napier will get fired at some point this season,” Thamel said on College Football Live. “From calling around and talking to different people, there does not appear to be the same urgency at Florida that there is maybe in the fan base right now to fire Napier. Part of that is Napier has the locker room. This isn’t a completely undisciplined team or a team that’s tuned him out.
Watch College Football Games Live -Try for Free Fubo! Click HERE NOW
Save $30 on your first month of Fubo by CLICKING HERE NOW! For a limited time, you can get your first month of Fubo for as low as $49.99. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and 200+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)
“And the other part is if you’re going to make a change in your coach this early in the season, you’d better have some sort of obvious upgrade or a capable coach on the staff. There’s nobody on the Florida staff right now that would be an obvious target to be an interim coach. So look for the season to continue to play out. They obviously go to Mississippi State this weekend, and then there’s a bye after that.”
As for who could make that call, it appears it’s Stricklin’s. However, Thamel indicated a lack of “clarity” on his status before he gets another shot at hiring a football coach.
Gators Online: Where things stand with Billy Napier and Florida Gators
“For Florida, from the big-picture, Victoria, we don’t know exactly who’s going to end up making the decision on Napier,” Thamel said. “Athletic director Scott Stricklin would seemingly be doing that, but there’s been no clarity on his status yet going forward.”
Napier signed a seven-year deal with Florida ahead of the 2022 season. If UF was to buy out his contract at the end of the month, the school would owe Napier nearly $27 million, as On3’s Pete Nakos detailed.