Paul Finebaum explains if win vs. Texas changed anything for Billy Napier's future at Florida

For the past couple of years, Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier has staved off the hot seat and battled to keep his job. That had seemingly hit a tipping point this season, opening just 1-3. Then, the Gators upset the Texas Longhorns.

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum dove into the Napier hot seat situation on The Matt Barrie Show a day after that upset win. There, he broke down what he saw from the Florida community, explaining that it may not have changed much as it relates to Napier’s future with the program.

“What was so interesting was the atmosphere down there on our Saturday show,” Paul Finebaum said. “I was just simply trying to be nice, understanding where I was, so I said something like, ‘Even though Billy Napier is struggling and his job is apparently on the line, the fans down here still really like him.’ And they started booing me when I said that, chanting, ‘Fire Billy. Fire Billy.’ So, that was the students’ attitude going into this game. Obviously, all fans want to see a win, and they got it, and it was not unpredictable because Texas has been a mess for the entire season.”

Billy Napier first got to Florida in 2022 and was tasked with sparking the program that had stalled out under Dan Mullen. He’s struggled to get things going, though, and sits at just 21-22 during his time in Gainesville. That includes an 11-15 SEC record that has left him hovering around the hot seat at a job where championships are the expectation. It’s also enough that one win, for Finebaum, doesn’t change much.

“Now, we’re right back to where we were last year. What do you do with Billy Napier? There’s three losses. They had a four-game stretch where I didn’t see how they were going to win any of them,” Finebaum said. “Even though Texas looked like the easiest. Now they go to [Texas] A&M, and if that loss goes down, it’s four because they blew the USF game. I’m just simply doing the math. It was a great win for the program. I’m not sure how much it means.”

Coming into the season, Florida was once again facing a very difficult schedule where there was probably a ceiling on how many wins the Gators could find. That’s why, as Finebaum explained, the USF loss was so devastating. It’s also made it so that Florida and Napier can’t afford more slip-ups like that one.

“About what we saw last year. That’s why that USF game was so significant. It upset the apple cart. But now he’s gotten that one back and he’s going to have to keep getting games back to survive. The atmosphere there, they were already asking about Lane Kiffin yesterday morning. That’s standard operating procedure, but I think there’s a little bit of optimism now, and there should be,” Finebaum said. “But I wonder how much of this game is really about Florida as opposed to about Texas.”

Next up, Florida hits the road where they don’t have a win yet this season. It’s a major test too, taking on an AP Top 5 team in Texas A&M. That includes a final seven games of the season where four opponents are currently ranked.