Gators Napier Named Hot Seat Candidate Despite Strong Finish in 2024

Despite winning the final four games and a bowl, despite the big finish in recruiting, Napier still isn't out of the woods yet
Billy isn't dodging the hot seat just yet
Billy isn't dodging the hot seat just yet / Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Gainesville, Fla. – Despite ending the year on a strong run, Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier finds himself, once again, being a coach on the hot seat entering the 2025 season, according to On3’s Andy Staples. 

At first, it’s surprising to see Napier being part of this discussion. He was able to flip his season around, as he won four straight games – including two wins over top 25 teams and a bowl game – and imposed himself on the recruiting trail by flipping top-ranked recruits such as five-star wide receiver Dallas Wilson. 

Things were beginning to trend upwards for the program and many were talking about the Gators in a positive light. There have even been calls for the Gators to land inside the way-too-early top 25, with one of those being On3. 

“And you may have noticed that Ari Wasserman and I placed Florida in the top 10 of our way-too-early 2025 Top 25,” Staples said. “In other words, we’re betting that Napier wins enough to be safe again.”

However, this is where it becomes less shocking to see him involved in this conversation for the second straight year. 

When news came out that Napier would be retained for the rest of the 2024 season and 2025, reports also surfaced that he would also be committed to hiring an offensive coordinator or playcalling coach for the next season. 

But, there has been no movement on that front. In fact, he shut that down recently, telling 247Sports’ Zach Goodall, “We just need to do our stuff better, so we’ll spend our offseason working on that.”

This point right here is exactly why he is one of the many coaches that Staples listed as on the hot seat. 

“But Napier pushed all in by ignoring calls from donors to hire a playcalling offensive coordinator,” Staples said. “He’s either going to rise or fall doing it his way, and seven wins probably won’t be enough this time.”

Staples isn’t wrong either. This stubbornness to not make his life easier by hiring a playcaller is the most likely path to him losing his job. There’s a reason Urban Meyer was a two-time National Champion with the Gators. He knew how to be a CEO and delegate. 

At times, Napier looks like he’s trying to juggle too much responsibility and it’s leaking over onto the field and into the offensive efforts. 

He has the talent to compete with much of the nation. There are only a few teams with more talent-rich rosters than Florida. However, if he can’t get out of his own way, then he’ll always be going two steps forward, one step back and will constantly be on the hot season as the Florida head coach.


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