Billy Napier ‘knew it wasn't going to be easy’ rebuilding Florida

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — After going 7-7 in his inaugural season at Louisiana, Billy Napier led the Ragin’ Cajuns to an 11-3 record and a division title in 2019. He hasn’t been able to replicate that Year 2 success with the Gators.

Following a 5-2 start, Florida has suffered three losses in a row and could be double-digit underdogs in the final games at No. 11 Missouri and No. 4 Florida State. UF must upset one of those teams to become bowl eligible.

If not, the Gators would miss the postseason for the third time since 2013 and finish with a losing record for the third straight season. For Napier and his staff, the rebuild at Florida isn’t happening as quickly as it did with Louisiana.

“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Napier said. “I think ultimately it’s not like we thought we’re going to run the table the first year. It is what it is.”

After starting out with an 18-10 record at Louisiana, Napier was 22-2 in his last two seasons with back-to-back Sun Belt titles, including an unblemished conference record (8-0) and a 12-game winning streak in 2021. He has experienced significant roster and staff turnover at UF.

Of the 80-plus scholarship players on the 2021 team Napier inherited, only 23 are still with the Gators. He also had to replace three assistant coaches in the spring, including his defensive coordinator, and will likely have more staff changes after this season.

Despite the challenges and results at Florida so far, Napier remains confident in his plan and process to rebuild the program.

“Look, I think you have to go into it — you develop a skill set,” Napier said. “So, you’re equipped with faith. You’re equipped with discipline, your ability to come up with solutions. And you’ve got to be tough minded. You’ve got to have endurance. You’ve got to be able to persevere. You’ve got to surround yourself with really good people.

“I think we have to continue to be action oriented, solution oriented. I do believe in what we do and how we do it. There’s always adjustments that are required. We have tremendous leadership here top-down. We have great resources. We have a tremendous product to sell. This place has done it before, and I’m firmly confident that we’re capable of doing it again.”

He went 6-7 in his first year at Florida and is now 5-5 this season, putting him below .500 with an 11-12 record overall. As he works to turn UF around, two SEC schools have decided to make changes.

Sixth-year coach Jimbo Fisher was 11-11 in his last two years at Texas A&M before getting fired Sunday. Mississippi State canned Zach Arnett on Monday after going 4-6 in his inaugural season.

“It’s been that way in this league for a long time. Look, I think you know what you sign up for. I think we all do,” Napier said.

“It comes with the territory. We all have a job to do, and ultimately, I think you view it as a challenge, you view it as an opportunity.”

Sam Pittman is also on the hot seat at Arkansas with a 3-7 record this season and a 22-24 mark overall. Napier was asked Monday if he’s confident in the time commitment he has from Florida.

“Absolutely,” he said. “Look, these are well thought out decisions. You don’t just flip a coin to decide to be the head coach of the Florida Gators. For me, you go into it with a strategy and a plan. You adapt. You evolve. You adjust. And we’re in the middle of our process.”