5 days Ago
To the dismay of many Florida Gators fans, it appears that head coach Billy Napier will be returning next season despite the team’s 5-5 record. Multiple reports have indicated that instead of axing Napier and starting over with a new regime, Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin opted to keep Napier in place in hopes the team could keep its young nucleus together as Napier was the one who recruited them. Perhaps the most important of that young group is freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, who many consider to be the future of the program.
During Florida’s postgame press conference following Saturday’s 27-16 upset of then-No. 22-ranked LSU, Lagway told reporters exactly how he felt about Napier returning next season. “Just having the guys around it, rally behind that and like, truly, we’re going to change this,” Lagway said .
“And that’s the whole vibe in the locker room, that we’re going to change this place, and we’re going to make it what it used to be. “..
.From a recruiting standpoint, I feel like that was huge as well. You know, I had a lot of guys hit me up after they seen that, you know, texting me, trying to see, you know, what’s, what’s going on but yeah, it’s great.
” Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images There’s no question Florida hasn’t gotten the return on its investment it expected when it hired Napier in in 2022. The Gators haven’t won more than six games in any of his two-plus seasons, and they’ve lost their only bowl game during that time. However, with Lagway, a five-star QB, plus five-star defensive lineman LJ McCray, eight other four-star recruits in its 2024 class and a quartet of four-star recruits in its 2025 class, Florida has the pieces to be better next year.
And based on Lagway’s remarks, it’s clear they think Napier is the coach to lead them to greener pastures. “We got coaches that care and they’re going to develop you, make sure a better player and person on and off the field ..
. I see it,” Lagway added..
