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Florida Gators HC Billy Napier may keep his job for one key reason and it's something that every team needs

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Tyler Forness | Last updated Oct 14, 2025 3:30 PM ET

The Florida Gators are in a tough spot halfway through the 2025 season.

Head coach Billy Napier is in a rough spot with the Gators. He has a 21-23 record overall, but is winless in games against ranked teams on the road (0-14). He's been on the hot seat for the past two years, and it hasn't gotten any quieter after the 34-17 loss to the Texas A&M Aggies.

"Athletic director Scott Stricklin has shown patience, not making a quick move on Napier after the USF loss. But the Gators are now 2-4 and 1-2 in SEC play in Year 4 under Napier," wrote On3 Sports' Pete Nakos. "Florida hosts Mississippi State in The Swamp on Saturday, followed by a bye week before the Georgia game. The bye week looms large as the possible point where Florida moves on Napier, sources have told On3. Questions remain about who would be named interim coach, and Napier currently calls plays for the Gators’ offense."

When will Stricklin choose to pull the trigger on making the move? With the current issues in the administration, Napier was able to skate by. However, there is one key element that could keep Napier around longer.

Billy Napier's players could keep him in charge

No matter what's been happening as far as the results of the games, one thing has remained a constant: His players are still playing hard.

Climbed the ladder ‼️

Jordan Castell, big time takeaway. pic.twitter.com/LIAhqIHDJN
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) October 12, 2025

"I think our kids are battling their ass off. They’re working and they’re playing," said Napier after Saturday's game. "We've got to stay the course here. We’re gonna have opportunities to play better going forward. We got a chance to be back at home next week, and we’ll have to hit the reset button and get to work quickly on that plan. So, there’s no quick fix here. The best thing to do is go win. We saw that last week. In general, here, we have to stay the course to keep going here. I think we got a lot of kids in there trying to do things the right way.  We’re close. I think we’re getting better on offense, and I think the defense has played really tough and hard the entire way.”

Having his team continue to play hard is important. It can be easy for teams to stop playing hard amid poor circumstances, but they haven't stopped playing for their coach. It's something that can't be taken lightly, and the Gators administration are likely to do just that.

Will Napier get replaced? No doubt that he should, but will he? That remains the biggest question, especially with how hard they are playing.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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