CFB insider breaks down Billy Napier's hot seat status as DJ Lagway potentially takes helm in 2025

Florida Gators coach Billy Napier often finds himself in hot water when his team struggles to keep up with the pace in the Southeastern Conference. Last season, the Gators finished with an 8-5 (4-4) record, and after initial struggles, saw Napier listed as a hot seat coach.

However, things are expected to change in the 2025 season. Napier is heading into his fourth year as the coach of the program, with hopes of putting the Gators back on the map, and DJ Lagway expected to take up the QB1 role.

The circumstances were different when Napier took the reins in 2022. Florida came off a 6-7 (3-5) record with rusty defense. The program had to undergo a major revamp, and the last three years were the rebuilding period. On3's J.D. PicKell is confident that Napier and his staff will find success, and the coach won't be at the top of the hot seat list during the early part of the season.

“I hope that Florida has success in 2025, because I like Billy Napier, and two, because I hope that them having success just gives a massive chill pill to the rest of the college football world, that you can be patient with your head coach and understand that not every situation your head coach that you hired walking into is created equal,” PicKell said on Tuesday, via the 'On3 podcast.'

“Because when Billy Napier got there, I think we can all agree now, it was not a situation where you could win right away in that conference. It wasn't Bill Napier who said it. We saw it happen on the field a few times. We saw them improve from this last season.

PicKell added that SEC programs face more difficulties.

“Not every league is created equal. It's much harder to turn a boat around in the monsoon as it is the SEC. I said this a couple of times a billion after Napier got that job. That job will go ahead and equate it to like a sailboat," PicKell said.

"That sailboat had holes in the sail, it had a rudder that was broken. It had holes in the bottom of the boat, and then you push it out there and hope it works in just the storm, the monsoon, that is the SEC and what that schedule was.”

Billy Napier shared progress of DJ Lagway

DJ Lagway's availability was limited during spring practice due to a strain in his throwing arm. He was benched for a while before joining the offseason practice sessions.

At the 2025 SEC spring meetings on Tuesday, Billy Napier mentioned that Lagway was doing great and there has been significant progress on his arm. He has been throwing 210 passes a week and is gradually recovering. If everything goes as planned, Napier expects him to start for the program next season.