Among college football reactions, The Athletic thinks Florida's are just right

Billy Napier came into his third campaign as the head coach of the Florida Gators on one of the hottest seats in college football and his program’s season-opening defeat to the Miami Hurricanes only further fanned those flames.

The Gators lost their first home opener since 1989 and surrendered the most points ever in that same scenario to their in-state rivals. With 11 games remaining and the toughest schedule among FBS schools, the possibility of a fourth-straight losing season ominously hangs overhead.

The cautious confidence that was built behind Napier and Co. during the offseason was quickly shattered on Saturday, as the results on the field echoed many of the same issues that have plagued the Orange and Blue dating back before the current skipper’s arrival.

The Athletic’s staff writer Kennington Smith III summary of what he learned from college football’s Week 1 action and included Napier and the Gators, focusing particularly on the HC’s seemingly inevitable demise.

Summarizing Billy Napier’s hot seat

“Week 1 in the Swamp was essentially the ‘Hot Seat Bowl,’ with Florida and Miami needing the win to validate offseason progress,” Smith begins. “Florida lost in a fashion that can send a fan base into a dark place: apathy.”

“It’s technically not over for Napier, who took a jab at Florida fans during his Monday news conference, citing that his team needs to focus on improving and not on what ‘some guy in his basement in rural Central Florida is saying on social media,’ but it certainly feels like things are trending in a direction,” he continues.

“Florida’s schedule has been much discussed, and now Napier needs to find a way to pull off some upsets to preserve his job status.”

The problem is that the compounding factors the program is facing like the schedule are not unknown. The issue is that the Gator Nation demands positive results and Napier and Co. are simply not providing that crucial detail.

“The goodwill built through offseason optimism evaporated in one Saturday afternoon. It was a moment for Florida to show it was on the right trajectory, and it did the opposite. The fan base is disappointed and uneasy about what’s to come. The Gators can turn it around, but the hot-seat conversations feel justified.”

Next up for the Gators

The Gators will get a chance to even up their 2024 regular season record against the Samford Bulldogs next Saturday inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.

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