On ESPN's 'College Gameday' earlier today, host Kirk Herbstreit revealed that roughly forty Florida players attended a dinner with DJ Lagway Wednesday night.
The details of this dinner weren't specified, however one could conclude that it was an act of faith from Florida players in their quarterback, who has faced national scrutiny for his disappointing performances the past few weeks.
"I talked to Billy Napier last night, and he said, 'The greatest thing I've seen this week is the players,'" Herbstreit said. "He told me that forty players on the team took him out to dinner on Wednesday night, just to put their arms around him and move past it. I thought, 'Pat, that really tells you a lot about where that culture is.'"
DJ Lagway and @GatorsFB still have time turn it around and this game will be a MASSIVE opportunity
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) September 20, 2025
HC Bill Napier told me DJ along with 40 PLAYERS went out to dinner together this Wednesday
Say a lot about the culture of this team 🤔#CollegeGameDay pic.twitter.com/Hp0R1Qdle7
Lagway has thrown six interceptions in three starts and has only recorded five touchdowns in that span. His poor play, opposite of his performances last season, has been a driving factor in Florida's embarrassing 1-2 start, feeding extra fuel to the 'fire Billy Napier' train.
Looking to turn it around
If there's any hope to saving Billy Napier and his job, step one is keeping control of the locker room. And it appears, on the surface, he has done that well. Many teams would self-destruct when dealing with the level of pressure the program is currently facing, but Florida players have thrown their support behind their quarterback in arguably the darkest time of his career.
Despite the importance of step one, it doesn't add any points onto the scoreboard. Napier has his players, and he needs to start winning. Now.
Time is of the essence, and many speculate if he'd even be able to survive a loss to rival Miami tonight.
So to be safe, he should win tonight's game. And then the next one. And then the one after that. It's probably most safe for him to win out, but Florida fans are certainly familiar with his struggle to win on a consistent basis.
So in all likelihood, the Billy Napier Era is nearing its demise.
But there's still hope. Especially if he can keep the locker room.