After the Florida Gators‘ 27-16 victory over LSU, former Florida coach Urban Meyer praised the work of coach Billy Napier while using his example to take a shot at old rival Florida State. Speaking on his podcast “The Triple Option” ahead of Florida’s game against Ole Miss, Meyer directly juxtaposed the 5-5 Gators to the 1-9 Seminoles, claiming the former has not “quit” like the latter has.
“I’m a fan of coach Napier, and here’s why: I don’t know him. I met him once or twice. They’ve been obviously really struggling, but the one thing they have not done — like the team in Tallahassee — is quit,” Meyer said. “They have continued to fight.
“I hear comments made by their excellent quarterback DJ Lagway. I see things, I hear things obviously and I still know a lot of people down there. The Swamp was electric. I think Ole Miss is walking into a hornet’s nest here.”
Meyer’s potshot at Florida State suggests he hasn’t let go of his old grudges from coaching at Florida from 2005 to 2010, a stretch that included outright domination of the Seminoles. During his tenure at Florida, Meyer’s teams went 5-1 in their matchups against Florida State.
While the Gators have seemingly found their groove enough to earn Napier a vote of confidence for 2025, Florida State has completely collapsed from its 2023 form and sits at 1-9 with just two games left to play. The ultimate gut check for the Seminoles and coach Mike Norvell may very well come in two weeks’ time, as they will close out their season with a rivalry game against Florida.
