Welcome Back To The Hot Seat, Billy Napier. USF Made Sure To Warm It Back Up For The Florida Gators

The more things change, the more things stay the same, especially for the Florida Gators following an embarrassing 18-16 loss to South Florida. For Billy Napier, this will once again churn up the talk of him not being the guy to lead this football program into the future. 

For all the talk about this Florida team being a national championship contender behind quarterback DJ Lagway, those conversations should come to an end on the same field that they allowed USF to drive for the game-winning kick. 

You can discuss the prospects until you are blue in the face, but this is clearly the same type of problem that has plagued this football program, desperate for a reincarnation, for nearly ten years. 

You have to go back to Dan Mullen's final season at Florida for the Gators to start the season 2-0, which is another sign of how far this program has fallen. Spare me with the momentum that the Gators secured towards the end of the 2024 season. 

The road doesn't get any easier from here. Next up, the Gators will face No. 3 LSU, on the road at No.5 Miami, No. 7 Texas and then wrapping it up with Texas A&M. 

DJ Lagway had not thrown a competitive pass until the third week of fall camp, coming off a shoulder injury that took time to repair. And, he looked every bit as rusty as one would think, which is not an excuse for what we saw out of this Florida offense. 

By now, it's just embarrassing. For all the conversations around Gainesville about how much this team had grown over the past eight months, it all came tumbling down as South Florida set up for the game-winning chip shot. 

That's it, the good will that Billy Napier had garnered from the Florida fans evaporated just as quickly as the lead in the fourth quarter. Oh, and it certainly doesn’t help when you've got Brandon Bett spitting on an opponent during a key moment in the fourth quarter, giving the Bulls an extra 15-yards on the drive. 

Billy Napier Will Never Have The Trust Of Fans, Or Boosters

There is nothing that Billy Napier can say, or do, that will regain the trust of Florida fans moving forward, unless he goes on some type of run that ends with a playoff berth. And even then, he will not have the support of boosters around the program, if my text inbox is any indication following the final whistle. 

Oh, and the USF coaches made sure that everyone in the pressbox knew about the final score, including Florida assistants. 

USF outgained Florida 391-355 on a wet Saturday evening in ‘The Swamp’, which you would actually think benefits the Gators given their rushing attack. But no, 11 penalties for nearly 100 yards is only an example of how much this Florida team has stayed the course, of not being reliable. 

"Ok, not good enough, and it's my responsibility," Billy Napier said to open his press conference. "I think when you evaluate the game, the red-zone missed opportunities caught up to us, and we let them hang around. Certainly the penalties contributed to the game, I think we had over 100 yards in penalties. It extended their drives and slowed down our drives."

No, sorry Billy, you did not let them hang around. South Florida was with the Gators for all four quarters of the game. There was no ‘sticking around’ for this one. 

I'd imagine athletic director Steve Stricklin is happy that his new contract was signed in recent weeks, while boosters around the program are currently breathing fire at what transpired on Saturday. 

Oh, and that Gators defense was just as bad on Saturday as we saw numerous times in 2024. South Florida quarterback Byrum Brown accounted for more than 200 yards of total offense, slicing up the Gators numerous times, especially the final one. 

"We can do much better. We can coach better, we can play better. Obviously I don't like these anymore than our fans do, or you do. We have to do much better," Florida's Billy Napier said postgame. 

How many times have you heard that before? It's almost as if he spent the week sort of peaking in on how Kalen Deboer handled the loss to Florida State. 

A Long Way To Go For Florida, Once Again With Outside Noise

Oh, guess who's waiting for the Gators next week? That would be the LSU Tigers, in ‘Death Valley’, with over 100,000 maniac fans around Baton Rouge. 

Before they even prepare for the trip to the Bayou, Billy Napier has to figure out how to put something back together heading into week three. Where have you heard this before? I'll give you a hint, it won't take a lot to remember. 

As for his message to the fans, Napier was doing his best to two-step reporter Edgar Thompson in the postgame press conference, cutting off a question before it could be truly asked. 

"We're thankful, it was an incredible, they were a factor. There's no excuse here, I'm not up here to make excuses," Napier mentioned. 

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Head coach Billy Napier of the Florida Gators looks on during the fourth quarter of a game against the South Florida Bulls at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 6, 2025. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Don't worry, Billy. Florida fans are sick of hearing the excuses, and I would imagine the Gators athletic department is tired of putting out fires before week three can even arrive. Sure, they could find a way to fix this, but I'm not holding my breath, given next week's opponent. 

"We won't have that problem, this group won't splinter. There's too much good in that room, that's not the issue," Napier said postgame about the team staying together. 

What did you expect him to say? 

As USF fans celebrated inside the stadium, in their own section of ‘The Swamp’, Florida fans were in the concourse chanting ‘Fire Billy’. 

Welcome back, Florida. It's as if you really never left the 2024 season.