He never used the term “hot seat,” but Florida head coach Billy Napier acknowledged the pressure is on to win. This weekend’s firing of Penn State head coach James Franklin – who was in the playoffs 10 months ago – only emphasized the expectations for coaches getting paid millions.
“That happens every year,” Napier said. “It’s what we sign up for, right? They pay us, they compensate us well. These are challenging jobs – in today’s climate, in particular. Look, we’re all men. We’re all competitors. We understand we live in a production world. You got to produce. There’s no running from that.”
Napier also knows that, to this point, he has not produced. He hasn’t produced in his Florida tenure, with a record now under .500 overall. He hasn’t produced this year, with the Gators now sitting at 2-4, boasting only one win over an FBS opponent.
However, Napier also said he isn’t going to quit trying. He doesn’t believe his team has either.
The Gator head coach was asked directly about conversations with his boss, Florida Athletic Director Scott Stricklin. Napier described Stricklin as “a great teammate,” and shared that the two talk every week.
Napier didn’t go into specifics, but said that each party knows the results so far have not been good enough.
“We know it’s not good enough,” Napier said. “No one loves to lose. I think we’ve identified areas we can improve. Things we need to do better. It’s much like any production business. There’s things you gotta do better to get a better result. Nothing more than that. We all know what the job is. You gotta wake up every day and go do your job. That’s the way I view it.”
Speculation on the outside is that it could be Napier’s last game if they lose to unranked Mississippi State in The Swamp this Saturday. With an Off Week the following weekend, it would give an interim head coach time to get organized.
Napier did emphasize that this week is important to the team, but he said that’s just because it’s the annual homecoming game and because it’s a home SEC game. While he acknowledged the pressure to win in general, he gave no indication that he thinks this weekend’s matchup could be his last.
Ahead of that game, and in the midst of struggles, Napier was asked what his message would be to fans who are doubting the future of the program. He said that while the results aren’t there right now, he thinks it’s still a team that fans can be proud of.
“It’d be one thing if you had a group that lacked discipline or the effort was poor, or there wasn’t fight, or the games weren’t close,” Napier said. “I think that our players are showing up every day. They’re practicing the right way. They’re working their asses off. They’re doing it with some class, in my opinion.
“I think they care about doing their job for the university, for our fanbase, and for the university community in general, and their teammates. Won’t back down in all kinds of weather. That’s what we do here. We haven’t got the result that we want. We know that. Our players know that.”
Florida and Mississippi State kick off at 4:15 this Saturday in Gainesville.
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