Steve Spurrier questions if Billy Napier will make coaching changes after 1-3 start

Florida has lost its past three games after winning its season-opener over Long Island University. On a recent episode of Another Dooley Noted Podcast, former Florida head coach Steve Spurrier discussed what changes current Gators HC Billy Napier must make to get the season back on track.

“I don’t know if Billy’s gonna make some changes. There’s an old saying, ‘If it ain’t working, try something different. Try something new,'” Spurrier said. “Of course, you know I wasn’t afraid to try anything different. And fortunately, of the eight conference championships I was fortunate enough to win, four of them two quarterbacks played.

“Terry Dean, I played in ’93 and ’94 and Danny [Wuerffel], of course. But, Shane [Matthews] and Danny had two apiece. And at Duke, we had two quarterbacks play, three wins a piece each of them, to win the ACC.”

Before the season, fans would’ve had a difficult time imagining any quarterback besides DJ Lagway running Florida’s offense. However, four games into the season, and Lagway is yet to impress.

The sophomore QB has 690 passing yards and five touchdowns this season, but has thrown six interceptions, five of which were in one game. Lagway hasn’t had success scrambling this season, either.

The former five-star prospect is averaging less than a yard per carry. He’s been sacked nine times this season. For reference, Lagway was only sacked 13 times in the entire 2024 campaign.

Florida fans had high hopes for Lagway after he led the Gators to a 6-1 record as a starter last season. Alas, fans are now wondering if Napier needs to insert a new leader into the team’s offense.

If Napier chose to follow Spurrier’s lead and mix in another QB, freshman Tramell Jones Jr. would be the most likely candidate. Jones is the only other Florida QB who has seen any action this season.

He played in the second half of the Gators’ season-opener. In the win, he completed 12-of-his-18 pass attempts for 131 yards and two touchdowns, without throwing an interception. After the game, Billy Napier raved about Tramell’s debut performance.

“He can really throw it. He’s got velocity on the ball,” Napier said. “The spin rate is impressive and then he’s a very accurate quarterback. I think you can see he’s got some savvy, made a few plays with his feet. In general, he’s impressed us and he earned that job. He earned that role.

“This is an opportunity to give him a lot of work and we felt strongly about that. … There’s no substitute for playing in a game. I think that was Tramell’s first opportunity. I think he’ll be better next time.”

Florida has a bye this week. Thus, if it’s going to make a change, now would be an ideal time to do so. On Oct. 4, Florida will look to bounce back as it squares off against Texas.