In four seasons as University of Florida football coach, Billy Napier has experienced plenty of “the Noise,” a name that former Gators coach Ron Zook used to describe the pressure the job attracts from Gator fans and media.

And after the dud Napier and his players turned in Saturday against the University of South Florida, the noise might be headed toward deafening.

Napier's record is now 20-20, which just isn't good enough in Gainesville. The Gators have won eight Southeastern Conference titles since 1991, but none since 2008 (when they also won a national title). Almost a generation of Florida football  has passed without a significant trophy.

After Saturday’s debacle, fans exiting Ben Hill Griffin Stadium chanted "Fire Billy" and national media reminded readers the cost of buying out Napier's contract. 

The timing couldn't get worse. The Gators play ranked teams in their next four games, starting at No. 3 Louisiana State in their SEC opener.

Napier says he is not only accustomed to the Noise but expects it.

“There’s no scenario when you’re not going to be criticized when you lose like that,” Napier said. “We understand that. It’s part of it. I think the key is that we take ownership, we don’t make excuses, we’re solution-oriented, we stick together, and we work on our plan to get better in some of those areas."

While that candor is appreciated, results matter more. Saturday's error-filled performance as an 18.5-point favorite was stunning.

On offense, where Napier calls the plays, there were multiple questionable decisions. On the Gators' last possession of the game and less than three minutes to play, Napier opted for two pass plays that fell incomplete, resulting in a three-and-out and giving the Bulls more than two minutes to drive for the game-winning score.

As the Bulls advanced into field goal, Napier inexplicably held onto timeouts until it was too late. His offense would never get the ball back.

Penalties, discipline problems a big concern

The loss magnified several issues that have plagued Napier's tenure. The Gators were undisciplined, totaling more than 100 yards on 11 penalties. The most egregious was the ejection of defensive lineman Brendan Bett for spitting in the face of South Florida offensive lineman Cole Skinner.

The lack of self-control, which facilitated USF's winning drive, was a microcosm of the team's overall performance. In Napier’s news conference Monday, he said Bett was “remorseful” of his actions and was scheduled to apologize to his teammates today at practice, as well as "reach out" to Skinner to offer an apology.

“I think he (Bett) feels like he let the team down and in general it was out of character for him,” Napier said. “He made a mistake, compromised the team, he made a selfish decision, he misrepresented our fans, our alumni, the university and when a young man comes into your office and his immediate concern is how he didn’t represent this place the right way, I think that’s a good indication of his attitude toward it.”

Napier, however, was non-committal if Bett would be suspended from Saturday’s game at LSU, but on Monday he reaffirmed his belief in his team.

“ I don't have any doubt at all because I know that room. I know what’s inside each of those guys," Napier said. "But we’re all human, right? It’s part of the leadership challenge is to get the group to stay focused on the right things. It’s about making the next right decision and you gotta be ready to move on.”

There is a limited shelf life for the patience for these performances.

Plenty on the line if UF continues downward trend

The financial stakes of winning and losing are enormous. A season with multiple losses and no College Football Playoff berth means less revenue for the Gators’ athletic department. Each loss also could affect fundraising efforts for Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals, which are crucial for recruiting top talent.

The NCAA adopted NIL in 2021, allowing student-athletes to profit from their personal brand and public profile, and Florida has to compete with other top schools in this new landscape that can offer recruits six-figure deals and higher.

Tigers coach Kelly calls talk about firing Napier "crazy"

Napier has company in this pressure cooker. Alabama's Kalen DeBoer and Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy also have suffered unexpected losses, prompting noise about job security and buyout clauses.

LSU coach Brian Kelly on Monday said the chatter about firing Napier is "crazy."

“It takes time. It takes time to put in your philosophy and the way you like to do things. I do them a lot differently than (former LSU coach) Ed (Ogeron) does, but he still won. They ask for a change, I came, and it takes time to make that change," Kelly said. "And it’s the same thing as Billy. Billy has come in after two or three other head coaches that changed the way the other coaches did it.

"Now he’s starting to stabilize that program. People talk about whatever they want. It’s crazy. It takes you what it takes, and he will get that thing where he wants it."

Buyouts ain't cheap these days

Napier’s buyout clause is a reported 85% of his remaining salary if he is fired without cause — roughly $19.38 million. It's a bargain compared to Kirby Smart's $118 million at Georgia and DeBoer’s $70 million at Alabama. But dismissing Napier adds up when you account for the recent history of Florida football coach buyouts.

Over the last two decades, the University of Florida has paid millions to end the terms of its football coaches:

Will Muschamp: Fired in 2014 after going 5-4 that year and 28-21 over four seasons. His buyout was $6.2 million.

Jim McElwain: Agreed to "part ways" with UF late in the 2017 season after posting a record of 22-12 during his two-plus seasons. The school paid him $7.5 million.

Dan Mullen: Fired at the end of the 2021 season after going 34-15 in four years at Florida. His buyout was $12 million.

With so much on the line, Napier must find a way to silence critics again, just as he did last season when his team won its final four games of the season, including victories over ranked LSU and Ole Miss teams.

Edge rusher McCray out indefinitely with broken foot. Gators sophomore edge rusher LJ McCray will undergo surgery Monday for a broken right foot he suffered in Saturday’s loss to USF, Napier said Monday. A recovery timeline for McCray is unknown, but the Gators' first availability/injury report of the season will be released Wednesday at 8:10 p.m. McCray is a former five-star prospect from Daytona Beach and signed with Florida in 2024 as the top defensive line prospect in his class.