Paul Finebaum Names SEC Head Coach That ‘Lost All Credibility’ in Week 1

In what felt like a must-win game for Billy Napier and the Florida Gators, the season-opening loss to in-state rival Miami left a bad taste in the mouth of UF faithful. '

The Week 1 matchup was projected as a close affair, with the Hurricanes coming into the game as narrow 2.5-point favorites over the Gators. Miami was coming off a 7-6 season and Florida was vying to reset following a losing 5-7 record a year ago. Instead of a competitive effort from the Gators, Miami pulled away easily and left The Swamp with a 41-17 win.

Napier was already facing heat following two-straight losing seasons since he took the helm in early 2022. Napier does have the faith of university leaders like athletic director Scott Striklin, who told ESPN host Paul Finebaum that Napier would be the head coach for a "long time" ahead of the game.

But Finebaum believes that could have changed with how the game played out in Gainesville.

“It just felt like the one thing Billy Napier couldn’t afford to do, he did," Finebaum said .

“The credibility he gained in the off-season, the goodwill, Tim Tebow telling me Friday afternoon, Saturday morning that Billy Napier probably should be coach of the year with a seven or eight-win season, it just seemed like it all went down the drain at The Swamp,” Finebaum said.

The Gators now prepare to face the nation's toughest schedules with an early notch in the loss column. Seven AP Top-25 teams await UF, including three teams ranked within the top five: No. 1 Georgia, No. 4 Texas and No. 6 Ole Miss. If Florida can't at least stay competitive in these matchups, we could be looking at the end of the Napier era.

Napier is due $26 million if fired by Dec. 1.

Florida will get some leeway next week with a home matchup against Samford before welcoming No. 20 Texas A&M to town on Sept. 14.

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