Warren Sapp’s Daughter Throws Shade at Billy Napier After Florida HC Breaks Silence on Shaky Future

After Florida’s tragic upset against a stunning USF squad, there’s trouble looming for Billy Napier. Ahead of the season, this game was looking like a win for Florida. But the Bulls pulled off their second upset of the season, taking control of the game in the last few seconds. Warren Sapp’s daughter, Mercedes, who is loyal to the underdog team, had a special message for fans. She also didn’t hold back on some jabs at Napier.

The father-daughter duo haven’t stayed away from Florida for their careers. Warren Sapp played college football at Miami and went on to be the Buccaneers’ star DT. Mercedes also followed in her father’s footsteps. She is now the Coordinator of Student-Athlete Enhancement for the Bulls. After the victory the Bulls registered at the Swamp in Week 2, Mercedes will see an influx of new talent for her to take care of in the future.

She shared a mini-vlog from the intense game on Instagram and was ecstatic about the win. “Y’all… this aint the same South Florida🤘🏾💚” she wrote in her caption. But as a loyal Bulls fan, she took the opportunity to take a dig at Florida football. “I took the trip to Gainseville and endured The Swamp to watch @usffootball take down #13 Florida Gators🤯,” she also added in the message. That emoji represents all USF fans. They saw how Florida dominated the first half and how the Bulls wrapped things up in a thrilling finish. The high-stakes game resulted in Napier falling out of the AP Poll, while USF broke in at No. 18.

The vlog captured the momentous field goal from kicker Nico Gramatica, son of ex-NFLer Martin Gramatica, that came with 3 seconds left on the clock. The powerful win is giving the program some much-needed confidence. USF boldly reached out to Gators commit Javarii Lukas and asked if he had watched the game. The season has already started on a bad note for Billy Napier, and a result like this will most likely reflect badly on future recruits. It just isn’t getting easier for the HC, whose seat is getting hotter with every game he loses. The USF loss was so bad that he even caved to talks about his future.

Billy Napier talks about his future at Gainesville

Even having the best QB of the 2024 class proved to be of little help to Napier. He began 2025 as one of the at-risk head coaches and with one of the toughest schedules in the SEC. And after going 1-1, talks of his potential firing have picked up pace. When asked about the security of his job, Napier said in the post-game presser, “We created it. We deserve it. If you play football like that, you’re going to be criticized. It comes with the territory, right?” A below-par DJ Lagway, unruly behavior, and more added to Florida’s disappointing loss.

Billy Napier’s buyout stands at $19.38 million. It’s a tough price, but Florida might be considering it if more losses follow. After all, they offered him the job in the first place because of his 40-12 record at Louisiana. 4 years ago, Napier brought a Sun Belt title for the second consecutive time to the Ragin’ Cajuns. He booked a spot in that game all the years he was their HC. In Florida, that level of success is yet to come by in his tenure. Though he saved his job in 2024 by putting forward an 8-5 score, 2025 will be tricky.

Napier will face 3 ranked teams—No. 3 LSU, No. 5 Miami, and No. 7 Texas—back-to-back now, two of them being away games. And before Week 3 rolls in, Florida has sadly exited talks of making it big. Given how tough the lineup is for Napier, the South Florida win would’ve acted as a safety blanket. Instead, it pushed USF into playoff contention, which is getting an AP poll spot after 7 years. Mercedes Sapp sure has a lot to celebrate. Billy Napier, however, will be facing such attacks about himself if his poor records continue.