Steve Spurrier reveals his thoughts on Billy Napier and his future with Florida
Steve Spurrier is still one of the most prominent figures in the history of Florida football. A member of the College Football Hall of Fame as a head coach and player, few people in the history of the game have a resume quite like the “Head Ball Coach.”
On the Friday edition of The Paul Finebaum Show, Spurrier chimed in with his thoughts on Billy Napier and the direction of the Florida football program.
What does Spurrier tell fans when they ask him about the state of the Gator program? “I tell them we need to do better, obviously. At the beginning of the year, I really felt like Billy, he’s gonna get this season. After the Miami game, lotta rumors. You know how they float around,” Spurrier explained.
“I really feel like nothing’s gonna happen this year. I really don’t. I mean, we’ve got a lot invested in Napier and his staff. And all these people. And he’s gonna get an opportunity to turn it around. And hopefully it’ll be this year. I think we need to have a winning season to get the fans back on good graces (laughs),” Spurrier noted.
While Napier had great success with the University of Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns, that same success has not translated to the Gators in The Swamp. Florida did have an awesome debut under Napier, a 29-26 upset of No. 7 Utah where Anthony Richardson flashed his tremendous ceiling at quarterback. But the success has been very little since then. The Gators are 2-11 vs. Top 25 teams under Napier–and they have lost five straight games against ranked opponents, losing those by an average of 15 points per game.
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Unfortunately for Gator fans, that rough streak continued in their season opener, with a humbling 41-17 loss at the hands of the Miami Hurricanes.
During his time with Louisiana, Napier finished with a 40-12 overall record, including a perfect 16-0 mark against members of the Sun Belt West Division. He also won four straight West Division titles, four straight bowl appearances, a share of the Sun Belt crown in 2020, and the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Championship.
Florida (1-1) will face off against No. 20 ranked Texas A&M (1-1) on Saturday. Game time is set for 3:30 PM EST on ABC and ESPN+.