Whenever Hall of Famer Nick Saban speaks up about things, it's time to listen. Now that he's on ESPN's College GameDay following his remarkable career at Alabama, Saban is always ready to give his thoughts on the biggest news surrounding the game.
This now includes the Florida Gators controversial decision to announce that Billy Napier will be back as head coach next season. Loads of fans were furious with the announcement from Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin, but Saban is all for it.
Leading up to the big-time showdown between LSU and Alabama in Baton Rouge, Saban was asked for his thoughts on Florida's decision and he was pretty fired up with his answer. Straight up, Saban is a big fan of Napier and he thinks he has the program moving in the right direction.
CFB Legend Nick Saban on Florida deciding to retain Coach Napier.
— All Gators (@allgators_) November 9, 2024
🎥: @espn pic.twitter.com/Q9D0qUGUbL
Nick Saban backed Florida's controversial decision to bring back Billy Napier
"Here's the thing that I really appreciate, that somebody out there in Florida's administration recognized the fact that Billy Napier has done a heck of a job coaching this team. They've had a lot of adversity, a lot of injuries, a lot to overcome, but yet every game, they start out and they play great in the first half, which tells me that they've done a great job of preparing their team with the players they have. The quarterback situation is going to be tough to overcome, but I think he's built a good nucleus and most importantly as you mentioned it Dez (Desmond Howard) culture. A culture that can win and if I was a recruit, I would recognize that and say this is a place I'm going to consider."Nick Saban
It's not often you see Saban that fired up, but he's ready to back his former assistant. Napier and Saban are quite familiar with one another, as Napier joined Saban's Alabama side in 2011 as an analyst and then he became the team's wide receivers coach after a year at Colorado State.
Napier took over as Florida head coach in 2022, but things haven't gone according to plan for him. His first two campaigns were a disappointment and the Gators are 4-4 in 2024 following the loss to Georgia in Jacksonville last week. Despite the rough go with Naper in charge, this is still Year 3 and Florida isn't ready to throw in the towel on him just yet. Saban is thrilled that's the case.