Rece Davis labels Florida keeping Billy Napier as 'such a wise move'

Going into the 2024 season, there were numerous hot seat rumors surrounding Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier. Even with a rough start to the season, however, Napier did get the Gators to a bowl and was able to save his job for the upcoming 2025 season.

That decision to retain Billy Napier surprised ESPN’s Rece Davis. However, as he shared on the College GameDay Podcast, Davis thinks it was a wise move for Florida to keep him in his role.

“There is some impatience among Florida fans,” Rece Davis said. “They’re used to winning with the [Steve] Spurrier era and the Urban Meyer era, they’re used to contending for championships. I thought it was such a wise move to stick with Napier, and I will admit, I thought he was done. Not because I don’t think he’s a good coach, I do, but the way they started things going sideways early on last year. The performance against Miami.”

Billy Napier came to Florida from Louisiana, where he won the Sun Belt twice and had three straight double-digit win seasons. It’s been a tougher go since getting to Florida for Napier, though. He has an overall record there of 19-19, and after a 4-5 start last season, things looked to be trending in the wrong direction. However, the Gators didn’t quit. Instead, they won out to give Florida an 8-5 record, the best Napier has produced there.

“But, they didn’t quit on him. I think one thing you see, and we say all the time, ‘In this era of sports, the feeling of team and camaraderie, pulling together is not what it once was.’ It was pretty evident that that was happening in Gainesville last year,” Davis said. “Because they had every reason in the world to start looking and saying, ‘Okay, where’s my agent going to get me next? This is done here.’ And they never did. I thought that was really, really impressive. Spoke well for Billy Napier.”

Now, Florida looks to take a leap forward in Billy Napier’s fourth season with the program. To do that, Rece Davis thinks Florida needs DJ Lagway to be healthy. That hasn’t been a guarantee in his brief career, though.

“But if they’re going to take a step in the right direction this way,” Davis said. “They have to have Lagway healthy. They were giving Georgia everything it wanted until DJ got hurt again. If they — he had the shoulder thing. He was in a boot as they started camp. They expect him to be ready to go. Just have to find a way to keep him healthy if they do.”

Florida and Billy Napier only have a few more weeks before the 2025 season begins. The Gators have their first game on August 30th against LIU.