The mood in Gainesville is a mix of a lot of things in light of Billy Napier’s exit. The troubled coach succumbed to the heat of the schedule, and a 3-4 record this season led to his firing. Scott Stricklin opened up about the major staffing change as Florida tries to find a way out of this debilitating crisis situation.

The AD brought Billy Napier on in 2021 with a lot of gusto, after having closed the Dan Mullen chapter. But little did the AD know, he wasn’t in for a lot of good with his 2 hire for Florida football. For the first time since Sunday, Stricklin opened up about the HC’s removal. “I’m incredibly appreciative of Billy, and I think we’re all sad and disappointed it didn’t work out from a results standpoint,” he said at a presser on Monday.

Stricklin acknowledged that firing the 46-year-old was “not an easy decision.” Nobody will know that better than the AD, since he was the one who convinced the decision-makers to keep the coach on for 2025. According to Stricklin, the former HC attended the inevitable meeting “as graciously as anyone could.” Napier earned himself some more time after the win in Week 8, but Florida’s patience had run out.

The problem with Billy Napier is that Scott Stricklin never saw any returns on his efforts. At least with Dan Mullen, he had two straight double-digit winning seasons. Napier leaves with a winning percentage below 50%, and with a 22-23 record. His leadership at Gainesville has caused a lot of damage for Florida to fix, in a myriad of aspects. The offense needs some desperate work to finally get the scoring going for Florida. Save for the easy opener against LIU, the Gators are yet to reach the 30-point mark. It wasn’t easy, considering the opponents they faced. But those losses could have come with respectable numbers too.

It’ll take some time for the AD to rebuild Florida after almost 5 years of being in a slump. But for now, former WR coach and now interim HC Billy Gonzales is handling things for the season.

Billy Gonzales keeps Billy Napier’s staff intact

Scott Stricklin has hope in Gonzales, who comes with the experience of coaching a National Championship winning Florida side. The Gators are now 3-4 and will face their true test of the schedule from Week 9 onwards. They have Georgia, Tennessee and FSU in the lineup. And based on Florida has fared so far, they need a miracle to win this tough gauntlet of games. But, surprisingly, the interim HC is making no other coaching changes.

Billy Gonzales confirmed that Ron Roberts will remain DC. O-Line coach Rob Sale and RB coach Jabbar Juluke will share rushing duties. The offensive staff stays as well, but there is some reshuffling. Russ Callaway stays on as OC, but plays will be called by QB coach Ryan O’Hara. It seems like a good move, because he has been instrumental in DJ Lagway’s development. And Florida leans heavily on the QB’s success for its own. That’s why recently, Lagway told reporters. “My biggest focus right now is these five games and to continue to get better at my craft and develop.”

Florida’s next head coach will have an extremely steep climb waiting for him at Gainesville. He will pretty much have to build Florida from the ground up, looking at the level Billy Napier has left it at. Unfortunately, there’s more trouble awaiting the Gators this season, who are grasping at straws at this point. Will Billy Gonzales be able to find them some relief?