If there's one game on the Tennessee Vols' schedule in 2024 that's labeled as an absolute "must-win game", it's the matchup against the Florida Gators in Knoxville on October 12.
Florida's had the Vols' number for the last two decades with Tennessee recording just two wins in the series since their win against the Gators in Neyland Stadium in 2004.
Over the years, various Tennessee coaches have received a "pass" for losing to Florida. That's because it doesn't seem like it matters who the head coach is at Tennessee, the Gators just find a way (or the Vols find a way to lose).
But in 2024, there will be no passes handed out. Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel will hear it from everyone -- fans and media -- if the Vols lose at home to a Florida program that is rapidly approaching rock bottom.
Billy Napier might want to freshen up his résumé
Gators head coach Billy Napier is squarely on the hot seat after going 11-14 in his first two seasons.
And that seat is getting even hotter after news broke on Tuesday morning, via a report from CBS Sports , that Napier is getting sued by Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Jaden Rashada, a former Florida commit.
Rashada, who signed with Arizona State in 2023 before transferring to Georgia earlier this offseason, had a very public falling out with the Gators after his lucrative NIL deal fell apart in late 2022/early 2023.
That NIL deal is at the center of the lawsuit that Rashada filed against Napier, Florida booster Hugh Hathcock, and former Gators football staffer Marcus Castro-Walker.
From CBS Sports : The complaint, filed in the Pensacola Division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, details a number of counts alleging Napier, Hathcock and others fraudulently induced Rashada, then a highly regarded high school quarterback prospect, to attend Florida with no intention of following through on their financial promises. Specifically, the lawsuit claims fraudulent misrepresentation and inducement, aiding and abetting fraud, civil conspiracy to commit fraud, negligent misrepresentation, tortious interference with a business relationship or contract and aiding and abetting tortious interference.
"Hathcock (on behalf of himself and Velocity Automotive), Castro-Walker and Coach Napier orchestrated and executed a fraud upon Jaden and were substantially and knowingly assisted by one another in carrying out the fraud," the lawsuit says. "Each of their individual schemes would not have succeeded without assistance from one another."
Read more at CBSSports.com
Florida is teetering on the edge of disaster at this point. The situation in Gainesville is akin to the one that went down in Knoxville in late 2020/early 2021 when then Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt lost his job due to a recruiting scandal that amounted to around $60k in impermissible benefits. The situation at Florida is a little different because of the NIL factor (which wasn't a thing during the Pruitt era), but it's still what looks like the beginning of the end for Napier -- just as it was for Pruitt.
Tennessee is a program that's currently hitting on all cylinders under Heupel. The Vols are a legitimate College Football Playoff contender. The culture is strong. Tennessee's NIL efforts, despite the NCAA's overzealous attempt to enforce a rule that didn't yet exist , have avoided public controversy. The vibes are high in Knoxville when it comes to football.
So when you consider where Tennessee and Florida are as football programs, there's just no way anyone in Knoxville can justify a loss to the Gators this fall. It just can't happen. In fact, the game shouldn't even be close.
The Vols have let far too many mediocre Florida coaches off the hook by botching games late in the second half. They can't let another mediocre coach in Napier off the hook. It would be a devastating look for Heupel as he continues to work toward bringing a championship to Tennessee.
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