Florida head coach Billy Napier consumed by process, ignores questions over his job security and results

Everyone who follows college football knows how hot the seat is for Florida Gators head football coach Billy Napier. After an 11-14 overall record during his two years in Gainesville, that’s enough to raise some eyebrows. Add in some sporadic recruiting, as well as the Jaden Rashada fiasco, and Coach Napier has become the coach being predicted to lose their job sometime during the 2024 season.

The schedule makers did not do Napier and the Gators any favors, including contests against Miami, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State. That is a gauntlet that should be incredibly difficult to navigate to a winning record. Things appear bleak this season for the University of Florida.

Coach Napier was present at SEC Media Day on Wednesday, set to answer a million questions about the schedule, his program, and his hot seat. He insisted that this was about the process, which he continues to emphasize to everyone in his program.

“You have to break things up in short periods of time for your players,” Napier explained. “If we can execute consistently and be consistent with the work and how we train, for example the next days are very important to prepare for training camp. The great thing about our schedule, we don’t have to take this on as an individual, you get to take this on as a team.

“Regardless of the outcome, ignore the noise, every person in that building is going to have to prepare the same way,” he continued. “We are going to focus on the work that is ahead, then we are going to look up at the end of the season and see what we earned.”

In the modern version of college football, Coach Napier is very aware that he will have to continue to navigate the worlds of the transfer portal and NIL landscape. That may have stunted his program’s progress but it’s a challenge he continues to do his best to figure out on the fly.

“Not only are we trying to create culture at Florida, we are creating new facilities and infrastructure. Go back to the very beginning, you are hiring a staff, you are trying to improve the roster,” he explained. “The game continues to evolve while we have been doing that. I’m on the inside. I get a chance to be around our staff and our players going back to the beginning of this offseason. That’s what gives me confidence.

“You have to get consumed by the process, not the outcome,” Napier added. “What I can say with conviction is that we have been very close. We played in a lot of close games. We have to learn how to close those games out. We have to leverage our experience, the lessons that we’ve learned, get in position in the fourth quarter and close out consistently.”

As for his team in 2024, Napier is optimistic for what it can accomplish. He understands the challenges, just insists that the process will be the main focus.

“College football, more than at any time, has become one year at a time,” said Napier. “You started the process in January. You build momentum through the fall and you do the best you can. As cliche as it sounds, it’s literally one week at a time. You have to have the self-discipline to prepare the same way, same level of focus, same urgency and get in position where you can execute for the team. I’m excited about our team because I have been observing the work.”

The season was filled with a lot of cliches, and avoided the topic of hot seats and his job security. Instead, he insisted about that process he believes in, and not to mention that “It’s not the size of the gator in the fight. It’s about the size of the fight in the gator.”

The process talk is great, but that schedule is real. If results don’t follow, things could get shaky quickly for Napier and the Florida Gators.