Florida reportedly calls team meeting as Billy Napier rumors swirl
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Despite Florida’s 23-21 win over Mississippi State on Saturday, many believe that Billy Napier’s time in Gainesville has come to an end as the program enters a bye week.
Amidst a 3-4 campaign in his fourth season at the helm, Napier has largely not acknowledged the rumors, but it appears they may be coming to fruition on Sunday.
Per GatorsOnline’s Zach Abolverdi, multiple sources have told him that Florida has called for players to report to team facilities for a meeting at 2 p.m. EST. The meeting was not previously scheduled, and it remains to be seen if a formal announcement of Napier’s firing will be made during the event.
Since taking over the Florida program in 2022, Napier claims a 21-23 overall record with two bowl appearances (1 loss, 1 win). After the Gators finished their 2024 campaign by winning their last four games to reach eight victories on the year, many expected 2025 to be the breakthrough season for Napier’s tenure.
Instead, a Week 2 upset at the hands of South Florida put a damper on that sentiment, and ensuing losses to LSU, Miami and Texas A&M have turned up the heat under Napier’s seat.
Florida does not play again until its annual clash with Georgia on Nov. 1.
Parker is currently the sports editor with the Enterprise-Journal in McComb, Mississippi. He's a graduate from Mizzou who has experience covering the Tiger football and basketball beats for SB Nation, and he's worked for a variety of sports news outlets in the past.
