Billy Napier declines question on finishing season as Florida coach: ‘I’m going to enjoy this one tonight’

There’s no escaping the hot seat rumors for Billy Napier. Even after getting a win in SEC play on Saturday against Mississippi State, the pressure is still cranked up on the embattled Florida coach. At the same time, he did his best to avoid directly addressing those concerns following the game.

Napier was asked about his love for this team and his desire to finish the season at Florida after the game. However, he wouldn’t directly address the question. Instead, he emphasized taking some time to step back and enjoy the win.

“I’m going to tell you something,” Billy Napier said. “I’m going to enjoy this one tonight. That’s what I’m going to do, okay? I’ll wake up tomorrow and we’ll worry about what’s next.”

Billy Napier, seemingly, came into the 2025 season on the hot seat. Then, Florida lost three of its first four games of the season, including its first three games to FBS opponents. Since then, the Gators have battled back to go to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in SEC play. However, the discontent is still there for the fanbase. Even in a win, Napier exited to fans chanting for him to be fired.

“We’re banged up. We need an open date. I know our group will be excited about the next one, right? Yeah, I’m going to go take a deep breath,” Napier said. “Get something good to eat, prop my feet up on the house, hug on them kids and Miss Sally. Then tomorrow I’m going to wake up and we’ll think about the next one.”

Since getting to Florida in 2022, Billy Napier has an overall record of 21-23. The Gators are just 11-16 in SEC play under Napier as well. Last season, winning eight games, was Napier’s best with the program by record. He did that while also battling hot seat concerns. Still, after previous head coach Dan Mullen was fired after going 34-15 overall, it’s been a stark step back.

All of that has led to concerns that Napier has coached his final game at Florida. He would even be asked about the chances he had coached his final game with the program, coming off a win.

“No, I think about our players man,” Napier said. “I think about our players. That’s what I think about. I think that we work. That was a good testament to the entirety of the group, from a work ethic to commitment to depth was all challenged. The entire process was challenged. We had a lot of players play some of their best football of their careers. And you had some unknowns just step up out of nowhere and make some incredible plays.”

Florida now goes into a bye week. Once they’re back from it, the Gators are set to renew their rivalry with the Georgia Bulldogs. The Bulldogs represent one of three AP-ranked teams Florida still has on its schedule.