“As we have seen these previous a number of weeks, the younger males on this staff signify what it means to be a Gator,” he continued, expressing confidence that this system can return to the extent it expects to be at below Napier’s steerage.
Florida is 1-2 in its final three video games, shedding to School Soccer Playoff No. 7 Tennessee (7-1, 4-1 in SEC) and No. 3 Georgia (7-1, 5-1 in SEC) and beating Kentucky (3-6, 1-6 in SEC).
The Gators are 15-18 below Napier. They’re 4-4 this season and play No. 5 Texas (7-1, 3-1 in SEC), No. 15 LSU (6-2, 3-1 in SEC) and No. 16 Ole Miss (7-2, 3-2 in SEC) over the subsequent three weeks. ESPN’s Football Power Index offers the Gators a 48 % probability of ending the season with six wins and being bowl-eligible.
If it fails to achieve six wins, Napier will turn out to be the primary Florida head coach since Josh Cody (1936-38) to start his tenure with three consecutive shedding seasons. Cody was fired after going 5-5-1 in 1939.
Per 247 Sports, Florida ranks fifteenth within the SEC in 2025 highschool recruiting rankings, forward of solely Vanderbilt.
It is unusual that Sticklin is adamant about retaining Napier however was sad with former head coach Dan Mullen going 34-15 from 2018-21.
Essentially the most vital issue within the endurance being afforded to Napier could also be freshman quarterback DJ Lagway.
Per ESPN college football insider Andrea Adelson, “There’s a sense that shedding Napier would imply shedding Lagway, who selected the Gators to play for Napier.”
Lagway, a five-star 2024 recruit, has appeared in eight video games this season and is 56-of-92 (60.9 %) for 1,071 yards, six touchdowns and 5 interceptions whereas speeding for 114 yards on 37 carries.
This system has fallen from the nation’s elite, and Stricklin’s endorsement of Napier suggests it would stay an afterthought in 2025.
Florida travels to LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M, hosts Texas and Tennessee and performs Georgia in Jacksonville subsequent season. It is schedule is not any simpler than this yr, and with Napier returning, Stricklin could have already sealed the Gators’ destiny.
