Former Florida Gators head coach Steve Spurrier likes current UF head coach Billy Napier just fine as a person.
But there's one aspect of Napier's approach at Florida that he doesn't care for.
Spurrier doesn't understand why Napier has so many folks on payroll.
“There’s a feeling around the Gators of ‘what the heck are we doing?’ There’s a lot of questions that I don’t have the answers to about organization,” said Spurrier recently (via Jacksonville.com). “Just because you hire the most people doesn’t mean you’re going to win. All these extra people, I question how much that really helps."
“Billy is a good guy who works his tail off," added Spurrier. "I like Billy, good family man. But we do wish the organization was a little bit more tidy.”
That's probably not a good sign for Napier's future at Florida.
The former Louisiana head coach enters the 2024 season squarely on the hot seat thanks to his 11-14 record over his first two seasons in Gainesville.
In addition to the poor record, there's also the large amount of staff turnover and the litany of hires that don't always make sense (Napier seemingly makes hires just to make hires), that's added to the questions about Napier's job status at Florida beyond the 2024 season.
It feels like Spurrier has already accepted that Napier probably isn't going to be the guy who rights the ship for the Gators. And Spurrier still carries plenty of weight in Gainesville so his thoughts are important. If Spurrier starts whispering in some ears, it could quickly be over for Napier at Florida.
More must-reads: