Billy Napier defends 'everything that's been built' at Florida, ready to 'double down'

The season went sideways in Week 2 for the Florida Gators, dropping a game at home to USF. Now, the pressure is mounting on head coach Billy Napier as he looks to right the ship heading into SEC play in Week 3.

Despite the hot seat rumors swirling around him, Napier defended himself and what he’s built on the weekly SEC teleconference. There, he doubled down on the job that his staff has done in Gainesville, as he believes the program is continuing to trend in the right direction.

“I think specifically here,” Billy Napier said. “Everything that’s been built here didn’t all of a sudden just disappear. Okay? We didn’t perform to the best of our ability. The ball didn’t bounce our way on a few things. But there’s been a ton of investment put into the people on our team within the organization. Those things do exist. If you’ve been doing this the right way, you’ve developed some intangibles to prepare for these types of moments.”

Billy Napier first got to Florida in 2022, and, since then, the Gators have struggled to find consistent success. He’d enter the 2024 season on the hot seat because of it, but was able to coach his way out of that situation and earn a fourth season. However, after dropping the USF game and losing it with what many consider poor clock management and a lack of discipline, has once again led to backlash against this coaching staff.

“Sometimes the game gives you what you need. It gives you exactly what you need. I think teams, there’s a number of examples, this can galvanize your group. I think when adversity hits, you need to elevate. You definitely don’t need to shrink back. So, we’re going to double down on who we are,” Napier said. “And try to go play a brand of football that we all can be proud of.”

The schedule doesn’t get any easier from here. Florida opens SEC play on the road against LSU. There, the Gators are set to take on a Tigers team that’s expected to compete for an SEC Championship this season.

Pete Thamel details unique language in Billy Napier buyout which makes decision difficult

For as much pressure that Billy Napier is under, there are still some realities for Florida if they did want to buy out his contract. That includes some unique language, which ESPN’s Pete Thamel recently explained.

“Interesting about Napier’s buyout is there’s no offset or mitigation, so he gets it all, which is pretty rare. Like, even Lincoln Riley’s, like, $100 million contract? I think the buyout is around $80 (million) now. Like, he goes and becomes a five million dollar a year NFL play caller or whatever, like Chip (Kelly) did? Like, that would get offset from the buyout, so you can make it more manageable,” Thamel said.

“This is $20 million, I believe $10 million in the first 30 days. I think it’s $20.4 million, $10 million or half of it in the first 30 days, and then they just have to pay the rest. Look, I don’t care where you are. Like, in modern college football, that’s a lot. That’s a lot of money. So, it would be interesting.”

Billy Napier currently sits at 20-20 for a .500 record during his time at Florida. That’s below the standard that’s been set for the program and will need to change quickly.