"He's a mediocre coach": Paul Finebaum rips into Billy Napier after Florida’s crushing loss to Mario Cristobal’s Miami

Billy Napier’s Florida fell 26-7 to No. 4 Miami on Saturday, marking their third straight loss. The Gators appear to be headed for another losing season, potentially their third sub-.500 finish in Napier’s four years at the helm.

On ESPN’s “The Matt Barrie Show" the next day, analyst Paul Finebaum didn’t hold back in criticizing Napier for the program’s decline.

“Billy Napier, because he is the offensive coordinator, diminishes his opportunity to be a very good, if not great, head coach,” Finebaum said (12:48). “He’s not — he’s a mediocre head coach. The fact that we're still discussing this as the possibility that he survives is a testament to what I'm not really sure. But the end is very near.

“However Scott Stricklin decides to do it and in what manner, I really don't know. And quite frankly, I don't really care. Billy is not coming back as Florida's head coach. And you're going to hear all the whispers of who, the what, the when, the why. I would say this like they're Florida fans. We know Florida fans, how they react to things.”

Offensively, Florida had one of its worst showings in decades. The Gators managed just 141 total yards, which was their lowest since 1999 against Alabama, and have now scored 10 or fewer points in back-to-back games for the first time since 1989. Their defense kept them competitive, but it wasn’t enough.

After the loss, Napier admitted the offense fell flat.

“I do think that our kids battled their tail off,” Napier said (via On3). “I think in particular defensively, it was an incredible effort. Obviously not good enough on offense. We didn’t generate enough yards or points.”

Josh Pate reflects on Billy Napier’s uncertain future at Florida

Florida’s season continues to look grim with a 1-3 record, and the road ahead offers little relief. Six of the Gators’ final eight games are against ranked opponents, starting with a home game against No. 8 Texas on Oct. 4, followed by a trip to No. 10 Texas A&M on Oct. 18.

On “The College Football Show,” Josh Pate spoke on Billy Napier’s shaky tenure in Gainesville.

“I assume that this is it for Billy Napier,” Pate said. “I assume that he will lose his job, which I hate because I love Billy Napier, but it is what it is.

“Bottom-line business and he has not gotten the job done there. Florida deserves better. They invest to the degree where they have the right to think they deserve better and they’re not getting it right now.

Napier finished the 2024 season with an 8-5 record and now holds a 20-22 mark in his fourth year at Florida. That track record is fueling rumor about his long-term future, with Pate stressing that the writing may be on the wall.

“This is a major story,” Pate said. “These jobs don’t come open very often. We thought maybe it would happen last year. It didn’t.

“I just don’t think you avoid that trap door twice. So it sounds like an inevitability that this is gonna happen. The thing about that is, OK, when?”

If Florida waits until the end of the season to make a move, Napier’s buyout sits at $20.4 million, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. As reported by The Palm Beach Post, the contract stipulates that he is owed 85% of his annual compensation if terminated.