ESPN paints bleak picture for Billy Napier, puts pressure on AD Scott Stricklin

Things look bleak in Gainesville after Florida suffered a shocking 18-16 upset loss against USF on Saturday in The Swamp. It was a mistake-ridden performance for the Gators, who committed 11 penalties for a total loss of 103 yards.

Two of those penalties came when USF was marching down the field on its final drive. The first was a pass interference call on defensive back Dijon Johnson. The second occurred when defensive lineman Brendan Bett was ejected for spitting on an opponent.

The Bulls ultimately kicked in a 20-yard field goal to pick up their first win over Florida in program history. ESPN didn’t mince words about the impact of the loss on Florida’s future.

“All of the momentum [Florida head coach Billy] Napier gained from the four-game winning streak to end the 2024 season is gone,” ESPN wrote. “Athletics director Scott Stricklin gave Napier a vote of confidence last year and it paid off. Stricklin received a three-year contract extension in June, so it will be his decision on whether Napier returns in 2026. Napier would be owed about $20.4 million if he’s let go.

“Barring a miracle, it will not get better. The Gators still play eight teams that are ranked, including four straight starting with Saturday’s trip to No. 3 LSU.”

With the loss, Florida’s record during Billy Napier’s tenure dropped to 20-20. Penalties weren’t the only issue fans took with the team’s performance.

With 2:52 left in the fourth quarter, Florida got the ball back and was ahead 16-15. Normally, coaches would run the ball in this situation, in an effort to drain the clock and force the opponent to use timeouts. Instead, Florida passed twice, both of which were incompletions.

In total, the Gators ran off just 27 seconds from the time they gained possession to when they punted the ball. The catastrophic series left USF with plenty of time to march down the field and escape with the win.

In fairness, Billy Napier isn’t running away from the blame. After the game, the 46-year-old head coach owned up to the team’s mistakes.

“We created it,” Napier said. “We deserve it. So, if you play football like that, you’re going to be criticized. It comes with the territory, right? So, the only thing you can do is go get it fixed. That’s what we’ll start working on tomorrow.”

As ESPN mentioned, it won’t be an easy road ahead for Napier and Co. On Saturday, Florida will square off against No. 3 LSU on the road at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ABC.