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Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier is 21-23 in his tenure. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

'We're Close' Not Good Enough in Year Four for Billy Napier, Gators

Originally posted on Florida Gators on SI | By Cam Parker | Last updated Oct 13, 2025 6:20 PM ET

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The seat has never been hotter for a Florida Gators head football coach.

Billy Napier, who battled from a being coach on the hot seat to having one of the most impressive coaching jobs in the country back to being back on the hot seat, more than likely finds himself near the end of his tenure with the program.

After last week's 34-17 loss on the road to No. 5 Texas A&M, during which Florida was truly only competitive in the first quarter, the Gators may soon join the ranks of UCLA, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Oregon State, UAB and Penn State as the college football programs who will have new head coaches in 2026.

Penn State's decision to fired longtime head coach James Franklin on Sunday, despite leading the Nittany Lions to a CFP Semifinals appearance a year ago, and Oklahoma State's decision to fire Mike Gundy, the winningest coach in program history, signal a growing pressure among college football programs to make changes when standards are not being met despite past success.

Napier, no stranger to criticism in his four years at Florida, said on Monday that coaching firings and criticism are part of the job.

"I don't think anything's changed. I think it happens every year. It's what we sign up for," he said. "They pay us. They compensate us well. So these are challenging jobs in today's climate in particular. We're all men. We’re all competitors. We understand we live in a production world and you got to produce. There's no running from that. It was that way when we signed up for it in the very beginning."

Napier, for the first time since last season, also directly addressed his conversations about the state of the program with athletic director Scott Stricklin.

"We meet every week and have a chance to catch up about what's going on. I think that he's a great teammate," Napier said. "We know it's not good enough. No one loves to lose. I think we're identifying areas we can improve and things we need to do better."

While Napier is correct in that "no one loves to lose," losing has been the main consistency in his time with the program.

Midway through his fourth season leading the program, Napier is now 21-23 in his tenure, which includes a 14-23 record against Power 4/5 opponents, an 11-16 record in SEC play and a 3-12 record against Florida's five main rivals of Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami and Tennessee.

Despite the records and performances this season, which includs three-straight losses before the upset over Texas, a 15.8 points per game average in the five FBS games played this season and being outscored 30-0 in the fourth quarter over the last three games, Napier has kept a consistent message of how "close" his team is in year four.

He is also has remained consistent in his message that Florida needs to move on from its losses rather than let them pile up, something the program has failed to do in his tenure.

"Win, lose or draw, it's time to turn the page and move on to the next one," he said. "We gotta focus, get consumed with the prep and the work. And to be quite honest, that allows you to eliminate some of the noise and distractions that you consume your time with, the work around preparing for each week's game. So, players are no different than the staff. You guys got a job to do, you have stories to write about last week this week. Our job is to get ready for the next challenge. So, that's the approach we take."

While the four-game winning streak at the end of 2024 saved his job, the consistent losing streaks will likely be what his tenure is remembered for. Napier has had three three-game losing streaks in his near-four-year tenure, including a six-game losing streak between the end of 2023 and the season-opener in 2024.

None of his recent predecessors, three of which were fired despite having better records than Napier, had more than two three-game losing streaks in their tenures.

Urban Meyer (2005-10) and Steve Spurrier (1990-2001) each only had one, while Ron Zook (2002-04) never had a three-game losing streak. In fact, the only other UF head coach to have as many three-game losing streaks, including bowl games, in one tenure as Napier is Bob Woodruff (1950-59).

Yet, for better or for worse, Napier remains, and his $20+ million buyout stays unused, as he looks lead his team to yet another sudden turnaround.

"Ultimately as a leader, you've got an obligation to the people you're leading," Napier said. "That's the staff and the players. And I do think, you know, there's no winning without losing if that makes sense. There's no happiness without disappointment. So, I think we've experienced both ends of the spectrum. And it requires courage to do it.

"And you gotta work a certain way to achieve a goal, and sometimes you don't get the result you want. There's no growth without struggle and I think we don't improve unless we put ourselves out there."

Florida hosts Mississippi State for homecoming on Saturday with kickoff set for 4:15 p.m.

This article first appeared on Florida Gators on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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