The Florida Gators are out of the muddy waters and breathing some fresh air. The Swamp saw a huge upturn transpire down the stretch this past season. They finished the year 8-5. A respectable outcome within the treacherous southeastern faction, especially with how hard their schedule was. This upturn coincided with a run at QB for true freshman DJ Lagway. His arrival on the college scene wasn’t exactly seamless, with injuries stunting his season. However, he may well have kept HC Billy Napier in the job. Now that he’s been afforded at least one more bite at the proverbial cherry, his 4th, possible futures for Billy Napier are said to include both the sack and an extension. Walk through this proposition by a Gators’ insider.
Despite a poor start hovering below .500, there are a couple of prominent reasons why Billy Napier bought himself another year in Gainesville. One, the players did not down tools and continued to honor their head coach on the gridiron every Saturday. Two, the Gators program did not have a permanent president in place. This meant the decision to part with his $51.8 million contract is not one they could be rushed into. His reverence within the squad as well as circumstances have kept Napier safe thus far. He’ll now have to reciprocate that faith with results. Florida homer and reporter Ali Peek thinks there’s a magic number that could trigger a contract extension for Napier. Falling below which could make the Gators brass part ways. There’s a reason why a middle-ground without either may not be possible.
Over her “A Peek Inside SEC Football” Youtube channel, Ali Peek was in conversation with fellow CFB content creators/reports TJ Pittinger and Jake Crain. The latter floated an idea which Peek couldn’t help but concur with. “I just wonder if 7-5 kicks the can down the road. [Also,] does 8-4 get you an extension? That’s the interesting part to me,” said Crain. He proceeded to give an instance of a program that did something similar and are maybe living to regret it.
“If you do show improvement, and everybody’s excited… Maybe you beat Texas, or maybe even found a way to beat Georgia. You’ve [then] got DJ [Lagway] for another year. Do you do what Wisconsin just did?” Ali Peek hesitantly agreed with this discernment about an 8-4 season. She also leveraged a reason for why an extension projects as the school showing faith in Billy Napier. Which is vital for recruitment.
“At 8-4, I think you’re right. There’s a great possibility they go ahead with an extension,” said Peek. “It’s a boost to recruiting when you can pitch stability, right? So if you got a doubt and you don’t re-sign, those coaches are still going to be out on the trail saying ‘Florida’s not sold on [Napier]. Did you notice they didn’t extend him? You may be committing to somebody who’s not going to be there’ So you extend him.”
That’s a fascinating argument. In this era of uncertainty in the sport, all coaches from other programs need is a little fuel to sow seeds of doubt in recruits. A longer term contract will at least theoretically signify a longer term plan. Which recruits are looking for.
In a morbidly twisted way, Napier’s fate rests on the young shoulders of DJ Lagway. It’s on the board that he has a bit of a sophomore slump and doesn’t keep up with the standards he set for himself. If that is the case Napier may not survive the season. No matter how much leverage the $51.8 million safety net of his contract and just as gaudy buy-out affords him. Napier probably recognizes this, and is already making shrewd moves to stay put in the Swamp. To avoid regression.
Billy Napier pulls help in form of a former Gators staffer from a fellow SEC school
All head coaches want to build their team to project their own philosophy. As an offensive-minded guy, Napier is naturally more inclined to focus on that side of the football. In his 3 years at Florida, he’s been the primary play-caller. Deferring to a designated offensive coordinator to keep a more balanced outlook on both sides of his team is something that may have actually helped results. At least that’s what Florida fans seem to think, and there is rationale to this sentiment. However, Billy Napier is not passing off the playbook just yet. This means that when he lost a key staffer on defensive, alarm bells were ringing. Fortunately for him, Napier has found a more than adept replacement.
Florida lost their safeties’ coach Will Harris to in-state Miami and Mario Cristobal. The Canes’ defense was what kept them out of the playoffs essentially. Harris was a big coup for them, and a replacement was requisite. In comes Deron Wilson. The former Gators’ coach returns home after a 2 year stint with Arkansas. He previously worked at Florida as a quality control analyst. “It’s great to have Deron back in the building,” said Billy Napier. “His exposure to our system and tree of coaches, to go along with experience in the SEC makes his hiring a no-brainer. His pedigree and relationships in recruiting will be valuable as well. He will help us continue to improve going forward.” Or so Napier will hope. In 2023, Wilson’s first year there, Arkansas had the 4th best pass defense in the SEC.
Napier sure can be a little more confident heading into year 4 with all that momentum he garnered. Things did click, and the pieces came together. Florida really will need to keep this momentum going. Week 3 through 6, they play a gauntlet of LSU, Miami, Texas and Texas A&M. As if last year’s schedule wasn’t testing enough, Napier has found no respite. This means he could well be on the hot-seat as early as October if things don’t pan out as hoped. Halloween could get extra spooky for Billy Napier.
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