Florida suffered a 49-17 whalloping at the hands of No. 5 Texas on Saturday, but it seems like Billy Napier’s seat will remain cool for the time being. This past week, Napier received a vote of confidence from athletic director Scott Stricklin, and the Florida coach expressed his gratitude for that in the postgame press conference.
Going into this weekend, Florida was 4-4 overall with a 2-3 record in SEC play. Despite a tough season for the Gators, Stricklin came out in support of Napier, saying he “will continue” as head coach of the program.
Just moments after Florida’s loss to Texas, Napier addressed that public vote of confidence. He said he was “thankful” for the effort his players have put forth this fall and said this young roster will benefit from enduring adversity.
“First of all, I’m thankful for our players,” Napier said. “Ultimately, that’s a reflection of our players. We would not have made some of the progress that we’ve made over the last four, five or six weeks without that group of players relative to what I’ve talked about before. The character there at the core of that group, their leadership. Obviously, the staff has done a good job.
“I do think, when you look at the roster as a whole, we have a ton of young talent that I think will continue to develop. They’re learning. They’re going through this experience, and I think that’ll prove beneficial for them in the future.”
Despite a middling record, the Gators have shown signs of progress in Napier’s third year on the job. Following an ugly home loss to Texas A&M, Florida won three of its next four games and had No. 2 Georgia on the ropes last week until starting quarterback DJ Lagway suffered an injury.
Napier was hired by Florida prior to the 2022 season; he’s compiled an overall record of 15-19 with one bowl appearance.