“How confident are we ever in, Billy Napier?” It hasn’t been that long since we first tuned in to watch the Gators get decimated in the gridiron. 17 points against Miami, 17 points against Vols, 20 points against Georgia – only one line rang true throughout X: “Fire Billy Napier”. But man, the world works in weird ways. Not only did Billy Napier not get fired, he got handed a contract extension, but what about the team? Well, they redeemed themselves. Projected to finish with 4 wins (if they were lucky) – wrapped up the season with 8 (Bowl counted). People often talk about how Michigan made a comeback, but look at the Gators and Napier!! Give them some love!!

But then again, is it even safe to have hopes up for 2025? “I don’t think that if you go into year four opting to not hire an offensive coordinator, I don’t think if things go bad, you get to go ‘oh, but next year, I’ll hire an OC,’ and we’ll just call it a day,” Brandon Olson pointed out on Locked On College Football. Here is the thing: Napier has to grow up. Remember the Miami game? Yeah, so Lance Guidry (DC for the Canes) straight-up joked about how predictable and easy-to-read Billy Napier’s play calling is. This has been something that has haunted the Gators’ offense throughout the year.

Now, one might say: Why should we even listen to Guidry? Okay, cook. “The only suggestion that I’m going to have is that Billy Napier and his guys, they need to do some things differently. And they can choose how to do it differently, but we can’t just keep on going [with] whatever we’re doing during the week, pre-games, blah blah blah,” was something former Gators HC Steve Spurrier pointed out.

Guidry criticism? We can ignore it. But getting called out by the HC who once led the Gators to a natty? Yeah, then you should keep your ears open. Doesn’t matter how much Scott Stricklin “believes” in Napier. If there is a lack of production on the offense yet again, fans are going to ask for Napier’s head on a stick.

And after all that has happened, still sticking with the “No OC” rule could eventually backfire for the Gators. Now, is there any way Napier can survive this? See, for the Gators, their schedule is like dragging your face on lava. It is hard. It is grueling. And you basically can’t catch a break.

Momentum is the key?

DJ Lagway is the key… See, the moment he was given the starter role, Lagway single-handedly lifted the offense. Georgia was in a crunch, trying to get past Florida’s lead in the first half. It was only when Lagway got injured and was called off that the Dawgs made their comeback and won.

And the Ole Miss game? Lagway was monumental for Napier and the Gators win. More than acceptable pass completions with 2 touchdowns under his belt – this is what Napier has to build his offense around. See, if the HC finds some way of not being “arrogant” then Florida does have a chance at coming out on top.

Even on ESPN 2025 Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings, Florida has been put on 18th. It’s early, but it is for a season they have that spot. Things could turn around, and we could see Napier lead this team to the playoff berth.

But if all of that does not happen? Well, bye-bye to your job.