Paul Finebaum: Billy Napier has been a 'complete and total failure' at Florida
Paul Finebaum can sum up the Billy Napier tenure at Florida in one simple word: “failure.”
It’s a sad reality for Florida Gators’ fans and the university after the initial promise of hiring Napier a few years ago. But now 1-2 in Year 3 with no signs of improvement, everyone in and around the program is ready to hit the eject button.
“That’s how Finebaum put being in Gainesville over the weekend during the loss to Texas A&M.
All I can say is what I felt and what I sensed,” Finebaum said on McElroy and Cubelic. “And this is even before the game. I mean, we had students behind us chanting, ‘We want Lane (Kiffin).’ I talked to a number of students Saturday morning prior to the game who had already bailed out on Billy Napier at 20-0 at halftime. I can’t imagine anyone down there believing that it’s going to work out.
“And quite frankly, I don’t really care what Scott Strickland does or the president, that’s their decision. All I know is that Billy Napier, like him or not, and most people do, has been a complete and total failure.”
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Napier is 12-16 at Florida in two-plus seasons. It’s a stark contrast from his 40-12 record in four years at Louisiana.
“It’s not working,” Finebaum said. “It’s not going to work every day that he remains. There is another day lost on the recruiting trail. It’s another day lost on building optimism. And that’s in spite of all the stuff I heard about (DJ) Lagway going into the game from everybody who had a voice. So whether it’s today or next week … it will happen. Billy Napier is not coming back as the Florida head coach.”
Whatever comes next is anyone’s guess, whether or not Napier lasts the entire season. But it seems more likely Florida will go in a different direction.