Billy Napier addresses if he is coaching for his job as hot seat rumors swirl

Florida head coach Billy Napier hears the hot seat talk but he doesn’t feel like he’s coaching to keep his job after three games this year. He’s not admitting defeat quite yet, despite things looking bleak for the Gators.

Napier is 20-21 in three-plus seasons and Florida is currently in the middle of the hardest part of their schedule. And it’s not even the end of September yet!

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum is someone on the side of the fence of Napier isn’t going anywhere quite yet. But, the next month is going to dictate his future. The head coach is trying to fix what’s in front of him.

“I think I’m trying to solve problems,” Napier said Monday. “You know, I think you’re trying to find the right combination of things to help and look, I mean, we’re a handful of plays away from winning that game Saturday. So I think you got to try to be as objective as you can. And you got to get consumed with how you help the players. You know, how do you help the players improve? How do you help position the players a little bit better spot here, there, and keep their keep the human element intact, you know? 

“That’s the really important part. So, you know, I do think, in my opinion, you know, a man is not defeated until he blames someone else, right? So I think it’s key, you know, for us to, you know, evaluate what we can do for every individual within the team and organization to contribute and help us get better.”

This September, On3’s Pete Nakos reported that Napier has a $20.4 million buyout. That comes after he inked a seven-year deal with over $50 million guaranteed in November 2021. Following the 2026 season, his buyout drops to $13 million, and following the 2027 season, it will drop to $6.1 million.

Next up, Florida travels to Miami to take on the No. 4-ranked Hurricanes. That’s before returning to SEC play in The Swamp against Texas.

So if Napier can solve problems as he said, maybe Florida will surprise some by the end of the year. But after winning eight games in 2024, many expected this would be the year Napier and crew got to double digits and competed, if not made, the College Football Playoff. Maybe the Gators need to play Tom Petty’s “Won’t Back Down” a few times more this week.