Former Florida head coach Billy Napier speaks with officials on the sideline during the Gators’ game against Mississippi State at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. (Libby Clifton/WRUF)

Frustration and Optimism: Gators Players, Fans React to Billy Napier Firing

October 20, 2025

When the news of coach Billy Napier’s firing broke, social media was abuzz well before an official statement came out from Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin and the University Athletic Association.  

Going into the weekend, USA Today reported that athletic director Scott Stricklin met with boosters who were pushing him to make a change of leadership. Rumors were fueled by the close 23-21 homecoming win over Mississippi State Saturday. It culminated Sunday, when the UAA officially announced the change at 2:30 p.m.

However, it seemed to be a long time coming. When searching “Billy Napier” between 1 p.m. Sunday and 1 p.m. Monday, the sentiment was just 9% positive and 15.1% negative, according to the social media analytic tool Talkwalker, which takes information from all social media platforms to identify trends and “sentiment,” the overall tone of a post. Nearly 32,000 results popped up with 603.1 thousand engagements and a potential reach of 7.5 billion. 

Many interactions came from a post by Hard Rock Bet, predicting Napier’s next step in his career could be North Carolina, Nebraska, UCLA, UAB or Publix, the supermarket chain.

Turning to the future, it is unclear who will take over permanently for Napier. For now, it is wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales to step in as interim. When searching “Billy Gonzales” or his nickname “Billy G” in Talkwalker, the sentiment was 24.1% positive and only 9.9% negative, showing optimism about his first head coaching job in his career in 1994.

Stricklin and Gonzales addressed the media at noon Monday. In this hour, Gonzales received the most positive engagement, showing a variety in answers, something Napier frequently failed to do.

“Florida is a special place to me,” Gonzales said. “I’ve worked for this program for 12 years. I take this new role to heart. It means a ton to me. I’ve seen what this program can be firsthand, like Mr. Stricklin said in his statement. The standards and the expectations at the University of Florida and Gator football program are to win championships, not to simply just compete.”

Former Gators have also chimed in, including running back La’Mical Perine, who said “Keep Billy G please!” Wide receiver Trevon Grimes played under Gonzales in 2020, sharing that this news could bring him back to Gainesville to visit for the first time since he left for the 2021 NFL Draft: “Coach G the truth!”

Brandon Spikes, two-time national champion at Florida and assistant director of player development, shared his love for Napier and provided encouragement and further credibility to Gonzales’ promotion. 

“When other coaches might’ve been intimidated to have me around, [Napier] brought me back and gave me a role in this program,” Spikes shared on X. “He believed in me and created a way for me to give back to Gator Nation and [Gators Football]. I will always appreciate his support and encouragement. Thank You BN!”

“Much love to [Gonzales] a true Gator who has coached at [Gators Football] for years even during my time and worked with legends like Percy Harvin, OBJ, [Kadarius Toney] and Ricky Pearsall,” Spikes posted on X. “So listen up Gator players, STAY THE COURSE! Don’t get played by portal predators.”

As a top candidate to lead Florida’s program next year, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin’s name brings up 6.6 thousand results, 85.9 thousand engagements and a potential reach of 3.1 billion within the 24-hour period beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday. The sentiment is 18.1% positive and 17.6% negative with the majority of posts about the possibility of the flip to Gainesville.

Fans, former players and commits will continue to share opinions on social media during the bye week ahead of the Florida-Georgia clash Nov. 1 in Jacksonville.

Category: College Football, Football, Gators Football, NCAA, SEC