On3 Roundtable: What would be a successful second season for Billy Napier at Florida

The pressure is on for Florida football head coach Billy Napier as he enters his second year. GatorsOnline’s Nick de la Torre broke down what Napier needs to do to have a successful second season.

“You have like the scales of justice. If you’re not going to have success on the field, you can still as an early coach kind of look and say, ‘Well, the last coach wasn’t recruiting.’ So, what does your recruiting class look like?” de la Torre told JD PicKell on On3 Roundtable. “I love DJ Lagway. I love the class that they’re building here early.”

De la Torre doesn’t seem convinced Florida is bound for a fantastic season. Can you blame him? According to Sports Illustrated, Florida has the sixth toughest schedule in the nation for 2023. The Gators struggled enough as it was last year.

In Napier’s first season behind the steering wheel, Florida went 6-7 and 3-5 in conference play. There wasn’t a happy ending for the Gators, who fell 30-3 to Oregon State to close out their season. De la Torre believes Florida must focus on the future.

“I love DJ Lagway. I love the class that they’re building here early. So, if Florida goes 6-6 or 7-5, what does that recruiting class need to look like in order to keep the fanbase on the same page?”

That question can only be answered by the Florida faithful. Napier took a step forward for Florida with his 2023 recruiting class, which ranked 13th in the nation; seven places higher than UF’s 2022 class. Florida’s 2024 class is shaping up to be even more exciting.

With five-star quarterback DJ Lagway joined by five four-star prospects, Florida currently has the fifth-best 2024 recruiting class in the country. De la Torre believes moves like these are what will keep Napier in the grace of Florida fans.

“Hey, the program is building, Billy Napier is getting his guys, and we’re seeing an upward trajectory. I think there’s not one answer. If you go 10-2 [in 2023] maybe you can have a seventh rated class. If you go 6-6, maybe you can be top three.”

While nobody likes to lose, Florida needs to have a long-term focus. Florida hasn’t won a bowl game since Dec. 30, 2019. If the Gators want to return to previous heights, they must be patient. Watch Billy Napier and Florida kick off the 2023 season as they take on Utah on Aug. 31, in Salt Lake City.