Scott Stricklin: Florida's 'patience' with Billy Napier 'is gonna be rewarded'

Saturday, a crucial season for Billy Napier and Florida begins. The Gators are 11-14 over the first two years of his tenure, and the pressure appears to be ramping up with a new-look Miami team coming to The Swamp.

Napier’s name has been on plenty of hot-seat lists this season as he looks to help UF turn the corner. However, athletics director Scott Stricklin has plenty of confidence in the third-year coach as the Gators embark on the toughest schedule in college football, according to ESPN.

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Stricklin said Florida has been “patient” since Napier took over for Dan Mullen. The Gators made a bowl game in 2023, but fell short with a 5-7 record in 2024 as the roster got younger. But as Napier continues to build, Stricklin said he sees plenty of promise with the season kicking off Saturday afternoon.

“Billy is a man of substance, he’s a leader of substance,” Stricklin said on The Paul Finebaum Show. “He is very methodical, which probably, long-term, is going to be really good for Florida and for our football program because he’s not gonna cut a corner, he’s not gonna take a shortcut. He’s gonna [build] a really, really solid foundation. And he’s gonna get this thing going to be at the level that all Gators want it to be at, which is competing for championships, playing in meaningful postseason games. Once he gets it to that point, it’s gonna stay at that point.

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“I see the steps he’s taken, the caliber of young people he’s brought in. He’s improved the roster, he’s improved the overall structure of the team. I think we have been patient as a university. That patience is gonna be rewarded. I really believe Billy Napier’s gonna be the head coach at Florida for a long, long time.”

Napier brought a strong track record with him to Gainesville. He spent four years at Louisiana and had a 40-12 record during that time. He also spent time as an analyst and wide receivers coach at Alabama under Nick Saban before becoming a head coach.

Florida faces a tall task this season, though, in the new-look SEC. The Gators’ schedule includes eight teams ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 poll – led by No. 1 Georgia, No. 4 Texas, No. 6 Ole Miss and No. 10 Florida State.