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Booger McFarland praises Billy Napier for LSU win, handling of questions surrounding his job

Chandler Vesselsby:Chandler Vessels•11/16/24•

ChandlerVessels

billy napier
Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Booger McFarland had some high compliments for Florida coach Billy Napier after the Gators’ 27-16 win against LSU on Saturday. The win snapped a two-game losing streak and earned their first victory against a top 25 opponent on the season.

It also came on the heels of an announcement from athletic director Scott Stricklin that Napier would return as coach in 2025, despite a push from some fans to fire him. Speaking on ESPN after the game, McFarland noted how Napier blocked out all the noise and kept his team motivated.

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“We came into this season saying Florida’s schedule is something nobody could master,” he said. “Everybody wanted to fire Billy Napier. It wasn’t if we’re going to fire him, but when. All he did was roll his sleeves up. Give him a little time. Billy Napier’s a good coach. Just because you don’t have the success early doesn’t mean that he’s not a good coach. I’m so happy for Billy because everybody in Gainesville wanted to run him out of town. Everyone. Even some of the players and maybe even some people in the administration. He didn’t worry about it. He just rolled his sleeves up. He went to work.

“You can tell that he hasn’t lost that team. Those players played hard for him tonight. This was a great win for Billy Napier and it’s a lesson to fans. Don’t look at the schedule in the preseason and don’t worry about all the outside factors. If you gotta good coach, let him coach. Scott Stricklin, good job by him. He came out and said he’s coming back next year. The recruiting has picked up. Great job by him and good win for them.”

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Florida pulled away after entering the fourth quarter tied at 13 with LSU. The Gators got a big play from quarterback DJ Lagway, who made a 36-yard completion to Elijhah Badger to set up the go-ahead touchdown run from Ja’Kobi Jackson.

The Gators never trailed from that point on as they outscored the Tigers by a score of 14-3 in the final quarter to secure the win.

Florida is now 5-5 on the season and needs one more win to reach bowl eligibility with two games remaining on the schedule. Napier is 16-19 in nearly three seasons in Gainesville, but will look to improve that record heading into Year 4.