Florida football begin anew with Billy Napier at the helm

Florida endured a tough 2021 season which saw the firing of Dan Mullen. A new era begins with Billy Napier, hoping to turn the Gators back into a winner.

Florida started off the 2021 season 3-1, the one blemish being a close two-point loss to Alabama. But what followed was a disaster. An upset loss to Kentucky, a blowout loss to Georgia, and a blowout loss to 18-point underdog South Carolina put the Gators on the brink. Head coach Dan Mullen fired defensive coordinator Todd Grantham but it was a band-aid for what was a larger problem.

After another loss to underdog Missouri, Mullen was fired. Florida did beat rival Florida State to secure a bowl berth but lost to UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl in a battle of state bragging rights. The 6-7 finish was unacceptable for the Gators.

Billy Napier is now the man charged with turning around the program. Napier has worked his way up the coaching ladder and he spent the last four seasons as head coach of Louisiana. In those four seasons, he was the winningest coach in school history with a 40-12 record. He was a hot coaching commodity in last year’s coaching carousel and Florida should be happy to have signed him.

Napier has learned from the best, having stints as offensive coordinator under Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and being part of Nick Saban’s staff for two of his national championship teams at Alabama. Now he will take his knowledge and apply it to getting Florida back to winning. It will be a challenge but Napier and his staff certainly look the part to take it head-on.