Billy Napier’s first two seasons as the head coach of the Florida Gators were anything but spectacular as the Gators had losing records in 2022 and 2023. 2024 appeared to be heading in a similar direction and Gator fans once again began to question the motives of Napier and if he was the right guy for the job.
But after the season started in disappointing fashion, the Gators defeated LSU and Ole Miss back-to-back with quarterback DJ Lagway in the pocket. They then won the must-win Florida vs. Florida State game and concluded the season with a win over Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl to end the year with four big wins in a row.
Paul Finebaum casts doubt on Billy Napier ahead of the 2025 season
That very well may have been what saved Napier from the chopping block for another summer. But as the 2025 season approaches, is Napier back in the hot seat and in a chomp or get chomped situation? SEC Analyst Paul Finebaum thinks so.
On “The Paul Finebaum Show,” the SEC Network analyst couldn’t answer the question of whether Napier is the right person for the job.
“I try to be a straight shooter here,” he said. “I don’t know if I can tell you that right now.”
Finebaum noted what we said at the start of this article: Napier did what he needed to do to save himself last winter. He also noted that Napier has “a couple things,” including “the support of Scott Strickland, which is very critical,” said Finebaum. “He will have a new president, which may or may not matter very much. He also has DJ Lagway, who is one of the best players in the country,” said Finebaum.
But as the seasons change and the sights and sounds of fall are on the horizon, Finebaum, like many, believes that Napier is once again in a situation where he must prove himself in 2025.
“What he [Napier] doesn’t have going for him is how he navigates, especially, the early part of the schedule,” Finebaum noted.
Coming into the season, the Gators have the No. 7 ranked recruiting class coming into the season. They are ranked No. 5 in the SEC. Their top recruits include nine four or five-star players. And they will literally be fed right to the wolves to start their career as the Gators have the third-toughest strength of schedule out of all SEC teams in 2025.
After facing LIU to open the season, the Gators face a must-win in-state rival matchup against USF before facing LSU the week after, immediately followed by another must-win in-state game against the University of Miami. Following the Miami game, the Gators have games against Texas, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, followed by the annual Florida vs. Georgia game. They then end the season against Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Florida State.
The above schedule, one that Finebaum calls “treacherous.”
It's not going to be an easy task for the Gators to have success in 2025, but they must find a way. And they have no early games either. The Gators will face all prime-time games in 2025, meaning all eyes will be on Gainesville or wherever the Gators are. There will be pressure, the fans will have expectations, and Billy Napier and the Gators will have to find a way to prove they have what it takes to get back to being a winning team.
The Gators will need to start off with a win when they kick the year off on August 30 against Long Island. Kick-off for that game is at 7:00PM in The Swamp.