Toasty Buns: 10 college football coaches on the hot seat entering 2023
By John Buhler
Billy Napier needs to see a year two pop at Florida or he could be toast soon…
It seems absolutely wild to put Billy Napier on the hot seat already only two years into taking over at Florida. However, his status says more about the university and the athletic department than anything. In short, Florida needs the right coach long-term to overcome its perpetual dysfunction. Sadly, Napier is closer to a Ron Zook or a Dan Mullen than to a Steve Spurrier or an Urban Meyer.
Florida went 6-7 in his first season at the helm with arguably the most talented quarterback to ever don the orange and blue in Anthony Richardson. Factor in its three biggest SEC rivals in Georgia, LSU and Tennessee all top-10-caliber programs, and you can feel the frustration from Gainesville. Do I think Florida punts on Napier after two seasons? No, but this is also Florida, man.
So what would it take for Napier to get the boot after year two? We would have to be looking at a 5-7 season, one in which the Gators finish in sixth or seventh place in the SEC East. Simply put, they have to win divisional games over Missouri and Vanderbilt to avoid total embarrassment. Frankly, I like what Clark Lea is doing in Nashville more than what I saw out of Napier last season.
Like Tom Allen at Indiana, Napier feels safe for now, but another bad year only sets this in motion.