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Billy Napier hot seat: Why Florida coach isn't 'going to be around much longer' after loss to Texas A&M

Untitled design (2)by: Sam Gillenwater10/13/25samdg_33

Florida is coming back from Aggieland to The Swamp at 2-4 overall following their latest loss on Saturday. That, to Josh Pate, is now to be the likely end of Billy Napier as the Gators’ head coach.

On ‘Josh Pate’s College Football Show’ on Sunday night, Pate reacted to the 34-17 win for No. 5 Texas A&M over Florida. That, on the Gators’ side of the game, wasn’t a positive analysis, as he says they’ve simply just run out of gas in trying to salvage this season, let alone this tenure, having had to play four straight games against top-ten opponents with three of those being on the road, including last night in College Station.

“This felt like a last-gasp sort of game for Florida. They had 157 yards in the first quarter of this game and they had 162 the rest of the way. So, they just ran out of gas,” said Pate. “My great unknown coming out of the Texas game was, is that the new Florida, so did they hit another gear? Or was that just a one-off? They didn’t play terribly last night, but it looks like it was a one-off.”

“I did wonder what the effort would be,” Pate continued. “They fumbled the ball four times night. They recovered two of them. It could have been worse. Second-half drives? Their second half drives went -3, -3, 14, 11, -1, 47, -3, 31, -2, 32.”

With that, though, the biggest storyline coming out of that one is again about Napier, who falls to 21-23 (.477) through three and a half seasons at Florida. He seemingly held this decision off a season ago, and maybe had a case to again with their win last weekend. However, with where this is still trending overall, Pate, who took no pleasure in saying what he’s hearing about this, thinks it won’t be long now before Napier is fired, and that the Gators would be justified in making that decision.

“I don’t know that Billy is going to be around much longer,” said Pate. “Again, I love Billy Napier, so I don’t like talking about that.”

“I think Napier is likely out. That’s not my opinion. That’s talking to people around Florida today. I think Billy Napier is going to be out. It may be after this upcoming game and they’ve got a bye, but I do believe he’s going to be out and I do believe the Florida job is going to come open,” Pate said. “I don’t like it, but I think it makes sense, though. You don’t have to sell me on the logic behind it. I get it. He’s had time. The result is not good enough for you. I get it. This one would be infinitely less egregious than James Franklin, to me. So, if that’s the way it goes, that’s the way it goes.”

This has, more than once now, felt more like a when, not if kind of choice by those down at Florida. That said, that when may not be too much longer with Napier with the Gators being a week away from their second bye and, either way, with six more difficult games in front of them this fall.

“It’s not good enough. And now Florida is 2-4, and there are more losses coming,” said Pate.

“It is a bottom-line business, and the bottom line there is it has not been good enough, so I understand it,” Pate said. “I do get it, and I think you’ll see action on that front in the not-too-distant future.”