Billy Napier reacts to Florida fans booing him, chanting for change: ‘I probably would’ve done the same’
Florida coach Billy Napier heard it all from the fans after Saturday’s loss to Texas A&M, and he doesn’t blame them. The Gators got down early and never recovered as they dropped their second game of the season by a score of 33-20.
Boos and chants of “Fire Billy!” could be heard from the crowd both during the game and as Napier walked off the field. The coach made no excuses in his postgame press conference for the way his team played, saying the fans were completely justified in how they felt.
“I have no negative comment about that,” he said. “Ultimately, when you play a certain way in this arena, you’re gonna be criticized. This is one of those places where there’s history and tradition and expectations and a lot of really good football teams have played in this stadium in the past. When you play ugly ball, and maybe it didn’t look like we all wanted it to, it comes with the territory. So I probably would’ve done the same thing.”
Napier is in his third season as the Florida coach after amassing an 11-14 record across his first two years. The Gators finished 5-7 in 2023, failing to reach a bowl game for the first time in six seasons.
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The coach was already on thin ice with the fan base entering this year and it only got worse from the moment Florida kicked off. The Gators lost in the opening week to Miami by a score of 41-17 in what was the most lopsided loss in school history for a home opener.
Most feel Napier has had plenty of opportunity to show some signs of progress, with On3’s Andy Staples even writing a column about how his time has run out. The coach was asked to make a case for himself to remain, and again was honest that he has to show results.
“My frustrations are with how we’ve played in two of the last three weeks,” he said. “I think we’ve done a lot of good in terms of behind the walls and just the organization as a whole. I truly believe that and I think most people that have familiarity with our program would say that. So we’re not getting the result on the field right now that we want, but ultimately that’s how you’re judged to some degree in this arena. So it comes with the territory. We all understand that as coaches.
“We have to play more competitive football and we have to play better quality football and that’s my responsibility. We spent a lot of time, we worked extremely hard and we have good people. But this is a production business, and ultimately, we’ve got to play better.”
His next chance to notch a victory will come at noon ET on Saturday when the Gators hit the road to face Mississippi State.