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UCF fans hang sign hoping to provide Billy Napier his 'retirement party' in the Swamp

FaceProfileby:Thomas Goldkamp•09/28/24
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(Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports)

Florida is off this weekend, fresh off a win over Mississippi State to improve to 2-2 on the season. But the heat on coach Billy Napier has not dissipated.

And UCF fans are licking their chops at the possibility of taking it to Florida on the other side of the Gators’ bye week.

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At Big Noon Kickoff on Saturday, one UCF fan displayed a sign making the program’s intent fully clear. They want to help push Billy Napier out the door at Florida, presumably by beating the Gators in the Swamp on Oct. 5. Check it out below.

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So why is Napier under fire currently? Well, Florida hasn’t finished with a winning season yet during his three-year tenure, and 2024 is trending toward another losing season given the difficulty of the schedule in the second half of the season.

As things currently stand, Napier is 13-16 overall at Florida, with a 7-11 mark in SEC play. That won’t cut it for long.

RELATED: Billy Napier under fire, all the latest on the embattled head coach

But not everyone is convinced that the problem for Florida lies solely at the feet of Billy Napier.

Nick Saban says it’s more than the coaches

One thing that has been consistent at Florida for the last decade and a half is the failure of each coach to sustain momentum over the long haul.

Former Alabama coach Nick Saban said that he’s not entirely convinced the coaches are the problem at Florida. Could it be an administrative issue?

“Well, I think maybe the problem isn’t the coaches,” Saban said on ESPN’s College GameDay. “You know, they’ve been through four coaches since (Steve) Spurrier and Urban Meyer, who both created a tremendous culture of winning there. And sometimes the fanbase can just think ‘Well we can show up and expect to win.’ And not make the commitment to the program that you need to make to be able to continue to make the changes and investments you need to make to keep up with changing times.

“Things change. … They should’ve taken advantage of building better facilities when Urban Meyer was there. What’s their collective been like? How have they adapted to this new model of college football? So it’s not just the coaches. When you’ve been through four coaches that haven’t had success, there’s something else that people should be looking at.”

In any case, Billy Napier needs wins and he needs them in a hurry. A loss to UCF might well be the final nail in the coffin, so all eyes will be on that Oct. 5 contest.