Steve Spurrier Reacts to Billy Napier Firing
The Ol’ Ball Coach appeared on “The Tailgate with Jeff Cordozo and Pat Dooley” Monday to discuss the recent firing of Florida football head coach, Billy Napier, and he said it wasn’t a shock when he first heard the news
“Coaches are as good as their record. Unfortunately, Billy’s record wasn’t all that good in four years, not just this year,” Steve Spurrier said.
Napier ended his time at the University of Florida with a record of 22-23, which is one of the worst records by a head coach in program history. He only beat five out of the 22 ranked teams the Gators have played when he was head coach.
Loading ...To put into perspective, Spurrier has two fewer AP-Top 10 finishes in his entire tenure at Florida than Napier had SEC wins in three years.
Spurrier has been present for most of the games under Napier and serves as an ambassador for UF. He noted some questionable calls during Napier’s four years that left crucial first downs on the table.
Spurrier also praised Florida’s decision to name wide receiver coach Billy Gonzales as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
“I’m glad he got the nod,” Spurrier said. “He’s a guy that’s been here for a long time with several different coaches. Who knows? He’s deserving. Maybe he can get some fire in these guys and get us organized a little bit better and see what happens.”
Gonzales first came to Florida in 2005 when Urban Meyer was the head coach. He served as the wide receivers coach until 2009, during which the Gators won two of their three national championships. He left Florida for LSU, where he spent two years.
When Dan Mullen was head coach from 2018-2021, Gonzales returned to work with wide receivers and continued under Napier. He has been successful in the work he does and said he intends to lead Florida football to victory.
Gonzales has named quarterback coach Ryan O’Hara the offensive play-caller for the rest of the season. He said that Lagway and O’Hara’s relationship was a critical aspect in promoting O’Hara to the play-calling role.
“He knows what I like, he knows what I don’t like. He knows what I excel at. He knows what I need to work on. So, it’s going to be great,” Lagway said. “Having that player-coach communication is going to be huge, and I’m excited for it.”
The Gators have a week off as they prepare for the game in Jacksonville against No.5 Georgia.
–30–
Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Football, Gators Football
