Billy Napier shares where patience stands between Florida administration, him
Billy Napier knows he’s on the hot seat. After Florida‘s 33-20 loss to Texas A&M on Saturday, the Gators’ head coach weighed in on his standing with the school’s administration.
“The most important thing is that we make decisions with perspective,” Napier said. “We’ve got to try to be objective. That’s the biggest challenge in leadership, I think, is kind of trying to put your ego on the shelf a little bit and evaluate things objectively and try to make decisions that reflect that.
“For me, all my decisions are about stewarding the people that have been entrusted to you, the players, your staff members. Ultimately that’s how I try to view it. That’s my responsibility to the players to do better for the players. That’s probably what I struggle with the most when we don’t play well is what are we — what can I do to help those young people in that locker room, because I’ve seen them work their tails off since January. You just want the reward for the player, and I think that’s what motivates me.”
Florida’s loss to Texas A&M was the team’s second of the season. Worse, the Aggies were without starting quarterback Conner Weigman, who was unavailable due to an injury.
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Nonetheless, Florida struggled to stop Texas A&M’s offense, which tallied 488 total yards. The Aggies notched 310 rushing yards alone and didn’t commit a single turnover against the Gators. After the loss, countless fans called for Napier’s termination on social media.
Napier was already under pressure before Florida’s two losses this season. In his debut campaign at the helm in 2022, he led the Gators to a 6-7 overall record and a 3-5 mark in conference play. Florida didn’t show any improvement in Napier’s second year at the helm, going 5-7 and 3-5 against SEC foes.
At its current pace, Florida will fall short of a .500 record again. However, it won’t be easy for Florida to part ways with Napier.
Florida signed Napier in December 2021 to a seven-year, $51.8 million contract. Napier received $7.1 million in his first year as the Gators’ head coach and his salary has increased by $100,000 annually since.
If Florida fires Napier before his contract expires, the school will owe him 85% of the total remaining annual compensation through the otherwise unexpired term. Moreover, the school must deliver Napier 50% of the money owed within 30 days.
For now, Billy Napier can only focus on the next game. On Saturday, Florida will square off against Mississippi State at noon ET. The game will air live on ESPN.