Why Billy Napier's initial contract may have been an issue

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin made a massive commitment to Billy Napier when hired him in 2021. Now two years in, it hasn’t exactly worked out the way he might have hoped.

The Gators went a combined 11-14 in Napier’s first two seasons and failed to reach a bowl game in 2023. Now he’s facing an NCAA investigation into the recruitment of Jaden Rashada, a former four-star quarterback in the 2023 class.

Florida gave Napier a contract $51.8 million over seven seasons and a budget of $7.5 million annually to use on a 10-man coaching staff. The Gators also promised an additional $5 million for support staff members and a large budget for recruiting.

With no on-field results to show for it so far, it’s hard not to wonder in hindsight whether the investment was too large. Nick de la Torre of Gators Online joined On3’s Andy Staples on Sunday to discuss how Napier was able to secure such a favorable deal for himself.

“Scott Stricklin made this (contract) with the Lynda Tealers and the Steve McClains and people that who have been around Florida that have helped coaching searches before,” de la Torre said. “But I honestly don’t believe that Scott Strickland will hire another football coach. I don’t know that you get the chance to hire three.

“So that’s Billy Napier’s leverage was, ‘you’re hiring me and if you really want me, here’s my list of demands.’ Florida had never given this much money to recruiting, to staff, to the infrastructure of football. I think Dan Mullen was probably a little sore, a little sour when you look at what Billy Napier was getting.”

Napier is the second coaching hire for Stricklin and the third head football coach for Florida since he took over as athletic director in 2016. He arrived in Gainesville after three seasons at Louisiana, where he posted a 40-12 record and won a pair of Sun Belt Conference titles.

Napier was an up-and-coming coach with plenty of potential at the time, though he had never been in charge of a Power 5 program. But coming off one failed hire in Dan Mullen, who was fired in 2021 after four seasons, Stricklin knew this was likely his last chance to get things right.

So he gave Napier all the tools he thought he needed to turn the program around.

“To me, it showed an investment,” de la Torre said. “Also believing that this would be Scott’s last football hire for better or for worse, it made sense. ‘Hey, we’re going to give you everything that you’re saying you need to be successful because I need you to be successful and there will be no excuses from a buy-in level for me for Billy Napier if it doesn’t work out.’

“Florida football gave him every one of his demands. We wrote 800 stories about a new addition to the army and how beneficial, we were being told, it was going to be.”

Florida has ranked among the top five recruiting classes in the SEC only once in the three years since Napier took over. The Gators’ 2024 class came in at No. 13 overall and No. 8 in the conference according to On3’s Team Recruiting Rankings.

There’s also been concern about the number of players leaving through the transfer portal. Florida saw 24 players enter the portal this offseason, including key players like running back Trevor Etienne and edge rusher Princely Umanmielen.

Time isn’t up for Napier yet, but it’s starting heat up as he enters his third season. He’ll need to show at least some progress to prove to Florida brass that their investment in him was a worthwhile one.