Paul Finebaum says remaining goodwill for Billy Napier went ‘down the drain’ with Miami loss
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Paul Finebaum was in Gainesville for Week 1 as the Florida Gators welcomed in the Miami Hurricanes.
Unfortunately for the Gators, things did not go as planned, as the Hurricanes came away with a dominant 41-17 victory.
On Sunday, Finebaum sat down to talk about the embarrassing performance by the Gators and the status of head coach Billy Napier.
“The one thing that Billy Napier couldn’t afford to do, he did,” Finebaum declared. “The credibility that he gained in the offseason, the goodwill, it just seemed like it all went down the drain at The Swamp.”
Napier’s Gators are coming off of a disappointing 5-7 season in 2023 and are facing one of the toughest schedules in the nation for 2024.
“The question now is can he put back the shattered pieces because, at this point, every single week is going to be a referendum on Billy Napier’s future,” Finebaum added.
With a schedule like the Gators have in 2024, every single game matters. Getting blown out at home in a non-conference game to begin the season is the worst possible start you can ask for.
In the game, the Gators mustered just 261 total yards of offense while allowing the Hurricanes to accumulate 529.
As mentioned above, it doesn’t get any easier for the Gators from here. A reprieve comes next week as the team plays Samford, but a tough SEC stretch begins right after the game. Even the non-SEC games Florida plays aren’t easy, as the team has UCF and Florida State on the schedule.
Bryce Lazenby covers college football for Saturday Down South. A Nashville native, his previous stops include FanSided, Dimers, and The Leaf-Chronicle.
