Gators legend Chris Doering sees writing on wall for Billy Napier

Things are not well in Gainesville following the Florida football program’s 1-2 start, punctuated by an embarrassing loss in the Swamp to the Texas A&M Aggies in Week 3.

Gators skipper Billy Napier came into the 2024 campaign already on the hottest of head coach hot seats and his team’s overall futility over the first three games has his tenure in a moribund state. Reports came out on Sunday that the university’s boosters were ready to cut a check for his release, but nothing has come to fruition as of Monday afternoon.

Florida alumnus Chris Doering, who was a legend on the gridiron for the Orange and Blue during his tenure, came into the season with high hopes for his alma mater and voiced his support for Napier and Co. ahead of the opening kickoff.

However, he has changed his tune after watching the first 12 quarters of Florida’s fall campaign.

Chris Doering’s latest thoughts on Florida

Now serving as an analyst with the SEC Network, Doering was asked at the Knoxville Quarterback Club on Monday if he believed Napier would still be the coach in October when the Gators came to Knoxville to play the Tennessee Volunteers.

Doering wasted no time in his response: “I don’t think so.” He went on to elaborate on how he perceives the players and fans are handling this current misery.

“Apathy is worse than anger, and I feel like there’s apathy starting to set in a little bit in Gainesville, and so you have to eliminate that,” Doering noted. “I’ve talked to some of the folks in higher-up positions, and they have to decide whether or not things are repairable. And it doesn’t seem like that.”

Doering’s thoughts on Tennessee’s team

“I think what Tennessee has done is kind of the bar being set in the SEC,” Doering said.

“And it’s ironic, because at Florida now, I feel like we are where y’all were seven years ago, eight years ago. It’s a tough struggle right now, and tuning in every Saturday to watch your team be an embarrassment out there on the field is tough to watch.”

Up next for the Gators

Florida will play their first road game of the season as they travel up to Starkville to play against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday, Sept. 21. Kickoff is set for noon ET and will be broadcast on ESPN.

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