The Florida Gators opened the 2024 season with a frustrating home loss to the Miami Hurricanes . For head coach Billy Napier , it was the last thing he needed to start the season.
Paul Finebaum of the SEC Network explained on The Matt Barrie Show that losing to Miami, particularly in the manner he lost the game, was the one thing that Billy Napier couldn’t do. Now, it may cost him the support that he has in Gainesville.
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“I usually like to get right to the point but I want to just take us up to the kickoff yesterday,” Paul Finebaum said . “Because being in Gainesville on Friday, positivity, talking to students. You know, ‘We’re not happy with the record but we’re behind Billy Napier.’ Then, the zenith of the afternoon came at about four o’clock when I sat down with Scott Stricklin , who hired, of course, hired Billy Napier and made the decision to fire Dan Mullen , and he was all-in. He said, ‘You can’t make changes every three years. We’re in this thing for the long haul. We believe in Billy Napier. He’s done things correctly. He’s done things methodically and we believe Billy Napier will be here for a very long time.'”
By the time it was all said and done, Miami beat Florida by a score of 41-17. Cam Ward , the Hurricanes’ quarterback, was phenomenal in the effort, outplaying Graham Mertz who ended up leaving the game with a concussion . It led to an uncompetitive fourth quarter where some fans chose to leave early.
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“And I thought about that as the afternoon wore on and as the seats were emptying yesterday,” Finebaum said. “It just felt like the one thing Billy Napier couldn’t afford to do, he did.”
Ultimately, the reason why Napier couldn’t afford to lose in the manner he did is that it’s going to cost him the confidence of the fanbase. With that, the rest of the season will be played under a microscope.
“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 question now is can he put back the shattered pieces? Because, at this point, every single week is going to be a referendum on Billy Napier’s future and that is for those who have not already written it off.”
Since getting to Florida, Billy Napier has a record of 11-15, including the most recent loss to Miami.
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