Tale of Two Coaches: Billy Napier and Samantha Bohon in Year 4
On Nov. 28, 2021, Billy Napier signed a seven-year deal as head coach of Florida’s football team. Six months later, in March 2022, Samantha Bohon signed a seven-year contract of her own to lead Gators soccer.
The similarities do not end there, with each enduring a rocky road in the first three years of their deals. Now, with both coaches’ fourth season in Florida underway, Bohon and Napier are navigating tough conference slates midseason.
“I feel like Billy Napier with this SEC schedule,” Bohon said on Sept. 11, before Florida’s SEC opener against Arkansas.
Napier’s time at Florida has been controversial, to say the least. Hired from Louisiana-Lafayette after leading the Ragin Cajuns to a Sun Belt Conference Championship in 2021, expectations were high for the man who once worked under former Alabama coach Nick Saban as a receivers coach.
His tenure started on a high, leading the unranked Gators to a win against No. 7 Utah. However, the highs were few and far between after the upset. Florida finished that 2022 season with a 6-7 record, losing 30-3 to Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl.
The following season, the struggles continued as the Gators stumbled to 5-7, missing a bowl game for the first time since 2017 and landing Napier on the hot seat.
After losses to Miami and Texas A&M to start the 2024 season, a Napier’s buyout appeared likely to be set in motion. However, Florida found some wind in its sails, ending last season with four straight wins to go 8-5 with a win over Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl.
As expectations built up over the summer, the Gators received their first Preseason AP Top 25 ranking under Napier, landing at No. 15. The expectations quickly lowered. Three consecutive losses to USF, No. 3 LSU, and No. 4 Miami led Florida into a bye week with Napier’s future in serious doubt. Holding a 20-22 record so far, Napier has overseen one of Florida football’s worst four-year periods statistically.
Although his recruiting and player relationships are highly regarded, Napier’s on-field product has been far below what many Gators fans expected.
However, a fellow fourth-year Gators head coach’s fate may be headed in the opposite direction.
Bohon, whose record is 16-32-15 overall, followed Napier’s path of joining Florida following success coaching outside of the major Division I conferences. She helped Embry-Riddle win multiple conference titles at the NAIA and NCAA Division II level prior to her time in Gainesville, where upon arriving, serious overhaul was needed.
Florida soccer had been extremely successful historically but underwent a transition period prior to Bohon. The team made 15 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances until it missed the tournament in 2018. The Gators continued to struggle, missing the tournament again in 2020 and 2021.
In Bohon’s first season, her time with the Gators seemed to be short-lived. Florida went 2-14-1 in 2022, missing postseason action altogether. However, sticking with Bohon, Florida jumped to 6-5-6 in 2023, although it still missed the SEC Tournament.
In 2024, Florida dropped to 4-8-6. The team won a single conference game and scored only 13 goals all season, followed by a complete flip of the roster in the offseason.
After each season, like Napier’s teams, Florida could not seem to get over the hump. Yet, with faith still held in Bohon’s leadership, the Gators soccer team headed into 2025 with a completely fresh lineup.
Although the Gators are currently 4-5-1 (0-2-1 SEC), a switch in playing style has changed the look of the team moving forward.
In 10 matches, Florida has scored 18 goals and moved away from a defensive approach that Bohon’s earlier teams struggled to perfect.
Freshmen recruits such as Kai Tsakiris and Katie Johnston, as well as transfers Addy Hess and Abby Gemma, have transformed the team. In addition, Florida’s 11 new starters bring a balance between first-year players and more seasoned talent.
The Gators’ performance this season could be seen as better than what their record suggests, with four of their five losses coming by a one-goal difference.
“I believe in this group, I think that they can do some really special things,” Bohon said after the Arkansas loss. “They just need to learn to put 90 minutes together, not 45.”
After getting their first point of SEC play Sunday, holding No. 15 South Carolina to a 0-0 draw, Florida soccer seems to be trending towards success under Bohon moving forward.
“Some losses, like Arkansas was tough but we did prove ourselves, proved to each other that we can be that team that we wanna be,” Tsakiris said.
One thing Bohon and Napier have in common is their strength of schedule. Each opened SEC play with a top-10 ranked team and face a gauntlet conference slate.
Gators soccer heads to Athens for a Friday matchup against No. 17 Georgia (7-2-2, 3-0-0 SEC), their fourth consecutive ranked opponent.
Currently on a bye week, Florida football must wait until Oct. 4 for its next challenge. Napier and Co. will host the No. 7 Texas Longhorns in The Swamp, risking Florida’s first 1-4 start in nearly 40 years.
Although Bohon and Napier may be on different trajectories, both are still on the hunt for a first SEC win this season.
“I don’t think it’s about how many games you’ve won, it’s more about the spirit of your team,” Tsakaris said Tuesday ahead of Georgia. “The past couple games haven’t been what we wanted but if we keep working as a team, I don’t see how a team that’s 3-0 can direct our heads a different way.”
Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Gators Football, Gators Soccer, SEC
