Florida says coach Billy Napier will return for a fourth season despite 15-18 record

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida coach Billy Napier is getting a 4th play to effort to get nan Gators backmost to their winning ways.

Athletic head Scott Stricklin made nan announcement successful a “letter to Gator Nation” connected Thursday that said nan squad is “building a instauration that promises greater occurrence adjacent play and beyond.”

The Gators (4-4, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) person made important strides since lopsided losses to Miami and Texas A&M during nan first period of nan season. Napier shored up nan team's shaky defense, found a imaginable prima successful freshman backmost DJ Lagway and developed young talent connected some sides of nan ball.

It’s nan benignant of advancement that made Stricklin's determination a comparatively easy 1 contempt Napier's 15-18 people successful Gainesville up of Saturday's crippled astatine No. 5 Texas.

“UF's committedness to excellence and a championship-caliber programme is unwavering,” Stricklin wrote. “In these times of alteration crossed assemblage athletics, we are dedicated to a disciplined, unchangeable attack that is focused connected long-term, sustained occurrence for Gator athletes, recruits and fans.

“I americium assured that Billy will meet nan challenges and opportunities ahead.”

The Gators went toe-to-toe pinch then-No. 8 Tennessee successful Knoxville past period and again with second-ranked Georgia past week successful Jacksonville.

Florida mislaid 23-17 successful overtime to nan Volunteers aft squandering respective chances to propulsion disconnected a stunner. And location are plentifulness who judge nan Gators would person won “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” had Lagway not pulled his hamstring successful nan 2nd quarter while starring 10-3.

“Before nan play started, cipher expected america to beryllium anything," moving backmost Ja'Kobi Jackson said Wednesday. "But we’re proving to group day-in and day-out that we tin play successful nan SEC, that we’re tin of beating teams.”

In September, nary 1 saw that coming. And it appeared Napier wouldn’t moreover decorativeness nan season.

Florida was inept connected some sides of nan shot successful a 41-17 nonaccomplishment to rival Miami to unfastened nan play and showed nary betterment successful a 33-20 nonaccomplishment to Texas A&M 2 weeks later. Under first-year coach Mike Elko, nan Aggies ran for 310 yards, sewage 3 touchdowns from a freshman backmost making his first collegiate commencement and ended a 10-game roadworthy skid.

But Napier’s fame started to turn pinch a ascendant triumph astatine Mississippi State and past a bye week that became a bid of ultra-competitive practices — on-field activity that players constituent to arsenic nan cardinal to getting connected track.

While immoderate wondered if nan Gators would commencement giving up aliases opting out, they dug successful for Napier.

“Everything Coach Napier says, everybody’s bought into it,” Jackson said. “We’re playing for each different astatine nan extremity of nan day. We play for everyone that’s successful this building."

Florida would beryllium Napier astir $26 cardinal by firing him successful 2024. His buyout drops to astir $19 cardinal successful 2025, though that fig would beryllium considerably higher pinch his legion of assistants and behind-the-scenes help.

Even pinch Napier remaining successful place, he's still apt to unfastened adjacent twelvemonth connected nan proverbial basking seat. And for bully reason.

Florida is 2-12 against classed teams and 1-10 against rivals Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami and Tennessee. And Napier’s in-game mistakes proceed to equine (see Tennessee), though astatine a overmuch slower pace.

Nonetheless, maturation outweighs increasing pains. And pinch November being a cardinal recruiting month, Florida administrators opted to springiness Napier a ballot of confidence, particularly pinch his squad truthful banged up. The Gators could beryllium down their apical 2 quarterbacks, including Lagway, their apical 2 moving backs, 2 of their apical 4 receivers and 4 cornerbacks erstwhile they return nan section successful Austin.

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