With the noise growing, Billy Napier confident UF will play with pride and effort on homecoming

The Florida Gators might be down, but they aren’t out — at least not according to head coach Billy Napier. Despite his team’s 2–4 record, Napier hopes — and expects — a motivated squad to show up at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday for UF’s homecoming game against Mississippi State.

“This group has got some character and they care, and they will take great pride in playing and competing a certain way Saturday,” Napier said Monday. “You can bet on that.”

After falling to then–No. 5 Texas A&M on last Saturday in College Station, Texas, UF now sits at 1–4 against FBS opponents this season. Three of those teams were ranked in the AP Top 5. Those losses have been painful enough, but the fact that the Gators trailed by seven or fewer points entering the fourth quarter in three of them adds to the sting.

The talent seems to be there. The results haven’t been.

Billy Napier disappointed in results, not effort

On Monday, Napier was asked about his message to Florida fans who might feel apathetic ahead of homecoming against the Bulldogs (4-2). He pointed to his team’s resolve and character.

“It’d be one thing if you had a group that lacked discipline or the effort was poor, or it wasn’t fighting or the games weren’t close,” Napier said. “I think that our players are showing up every day. They’re practicing the right way; they’re working their ass off; they’re doing it with some class, in my opinion. And I think they care about doing their job for the university. For our fan base and the university community in general, and their teammates. Won’t back down, in all kinds of weather, that’s what we did here, right?”

His seat is awfully hot … and getting hotter

For the Gators — who were hyped up quite a bit this offseason — most of their lofty goals for the 2025 campaign are now off the table. Meanwhile, with each loss, Napier’s seat grows warmer. He’s now 21–23 as UF’s head coach, which has many fans calling for his job. Whether his fate is already sealed remains to be seen, but with the losses piling up, things certainly look and feel bleak.

In spite of that, Napier continues to press on and hope for the best — both for Saturday and for the remainder of the season. And he believes his players have the same approach.

“We haven’t got the result that we want,” Napier said. “We know that, our players know that. Certainly our alumni and fans know. But this week, homecoming is unique because it’s an opportunity to come back. It’s an opportunity to sit in that stadium and think about a lot of the great memories you made while you were here.

“I think for our players, it’s an opportunity to see the big picture in terms of who they represent. And look, they’re representing themselves, their family. But there’s a bigger picture approach here. They’re going to be a Gator for the rest of their lives. I always tell them, I’ll say, ‘Look there’s going to be a day, 10 to 15 years from now, where you bring your family back, you’re sitting in there, and you’re gonna want to be proud of how the team represents itself.’ I think that we get that. … This is a new day, this is a new week. It’s all we control. … It’s a new week, it’s a new day, it’s a new week, and we gotta turn around and prepare a certain way, get ready to represent this place the right way on Saturday.”