Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier may very well be coaching for his job in Saturday’s matchup against the Mississippi State Bulldogs after speculation about his job security emerged earlier this week. During Saturday’s game, Gators fans made it incredibly clear that they won’t exactly miss Napier if he is ultimately let go.
On Wednesday, reports emerged that following a meeting between Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin and boosters on Tuesday, Napier’s potential firing could be “imminent” as soon as this weekend should the Gators’ struggles continue against Mississippi State.
Considering Florida will go into a bye in Week 9, Napier’s potential firing would certainly make sense to happen after the Mississippi State game should Florida lose the matchup and fall to 2-5 on the season, as the interim coach, whoever that may be, would get an additional week to prepare for the team’s Week 10 game against Georgia.
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Near the end of the first half, despite holding a 10-7 lead over Mississippi State, Florida fans made it clear how they felt about Napier, starting a “fire Billy” chant prior to a field goal attempt that would ultimately make it a 13-7 lead for Florida.
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It’s incredibly rare to see a fanbase calling for a coach to be fired during a game that they are leading, which clearly goes to show that regardless of the result on Saturday, Napier seems to have lost the trust of the Florida fanbase.
It’s truly hard to fault Gators fans who aren’t happy with the current trajectory of the once dominant Florida program. During Napier’s time in Gainesville, the former Louisiana head coach has just a 21-23 record, continuously failing to live up to lofty expectations that come along with being the head coach at the University of Florida.
On the bright side, Florida did go into the second half with a 13-7 lead. So depending on how the remainder of the game goes, Napier could perhaps help prove to Florida boosters that he deserves at least another week as head coach, even if the Florida fanbase may have lost faith in him.
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