Paul Finebaum discusses where Billy Napier stands at Florida after loss to Arkansas
Negativity is oozing out of the swamp after Florida’s 39-36 loss to Arkansas. On Sunday, Paul Finebaum weighed in on the Gators’ most recent loss and its impact on head coach Billy Napier’s position.
“Scott Strickland, the AD down there, is all in on Billy Napier, but the problem is the statistics just are insanely bad for him,” Finebaum said. “Billy Napier came from a smaller school where he did well and everybody said we got a better coach than Brian Kelly, remember?
“Florida is in a quagmire right now, trying to figure out what to do. Do they hold on to that rope? Do they say all the right things? When, quite frankly, the fans are looking at Billy Napier and going, ‘Man what’s what’s with this guy?'”
Napier hasn’t been all bad. The team is 3-3 in conference play after its loss to Arkansas. Of course, falling to the Razorbacks isn’t Napier’s best moment. Before sinking the Gators, Arkansas was winless in the SEC this season.
Nonetheless, Florida has shown glimpses of potential. In Week 3, Napier boosted his team to an impressive win over Tennessee. In mid-October, the team picked up a respectable win over South Carolina.
However, it will be difficult for Florida to find another SEC win this year. LSU and Missouri are the Gators’ only conference opponents remaining in the regular season. If Florida loses to both teams, the program will finish with the same conference record it posted in Napier’s debut season: 3-5.
Billy Napier invests in the future
Although Florida hasn’t shown immense growth on the field in Napier’s second season in the driver’s seat, the program is adding parts. According to On3 Industry Rankings, Florida currently has the No. 3 recruiting class in the 2024 cycle.
Finebaum claims, at this point, UF’s focus is on securing its future.
“The concern going into [Saturday’s] game wasn’t about wins and losses. It was about holding on to a really good recruiting class,” Finebaum said. “When a game like that happens, the negativity starts to mushroom. And this is around the point that a couple of years ago where Dan [Mullen] was let go.
“In the world of ever-changing rosters, it makes people a little more anxious and I think Napier will survive because he’s got support and maybe he should. I don’t know what the people at Florida know, but I know what fans know, and they’re fed up.”
Napier will have three regular-season games left to earn Florida fans’ trust. On Saturday, the Gators will face off against No. 18 LSU.