Florida fans need to 'buckle up' for the Billy Napier-led ride

Entering year two of the Billy Napier era, his vision for Florida football is already beginning to take shape with recruiting, resources and exposure. On3’s JD PicKell is all in on Napier hype train — but he’s asking Gators fans to be patient while on course to its final destination.

“There’s a lot of talk of Billy Napier being the right guy or the wrong guy in Gainesville, but let’s all just relax and say we don’t know what Billy Napier is going to be as far as being a head coach just yet,” PicKell said. “I get a good vibe from him. I feel good about what he’s doing in terms of alocating resources at Florida and how they’re working to get the right guys on the roster from a recruiting standpoint.

“I still see a lot of benefits there, but even if you don’t — he’s your guy for the future. The buyout for him is $31.8 million — you’re not buying him out, you’re riding with Billy Napier.”

It’s easy for Florida fans to look around the SEC and see what teams like Alabama and Georgia are doing and feel a bit jealous. PicKell said for them not to let that take away from the joy — Florida is in its own lane right now. Yes, eventually the goal is to catch up to those SEC powerhouses — but it takes time. Neither of those programs were built in a day.

The Gators can be bunched with mid-tier SEC teams like South Carolina and Tennessee, two teams with newer head coaches that have begun taking the conference by storm. With massive gains on the recruiting trail and transfer portal this offseason, there’s no reason why Florida can’t be on that same level — or surpass it — in 2023.

Right now, the only difference between the Gators compared to the Volunteers and Gamecocks is that Florida hasn’t formed an identity through just spring training. Florida lost its star quarterback to the NFL, and is starting from scratch under center — the other schools already have their guy.

“Buckle up, eat a snack, get a beverage. Get comfortable. We’re going to be on this ride together for a while,” PicKell said. “It’s not going to be perfect. It’s going to be a process. There are going to be some ups and downs. Success is not linear, and the situation down in Gainesville is no different.”