Florida Football needs a reset, not a big win

By Chris Marler

It’s hard to figure out how Florida got in this situation. Just five years ago, they were coming off their third straight New Year’s Six Bowl, and prior to that 2020 season Dan Mullen had just won 21 games in two years. `

None of that was good enough though. 

Florida watched Georgia rise to the top of the college football mountain and begin beating them with regularity under Kirby Smart. Even when they did beat the Bulldogs in 2020, they squandered away a chance at the college football playoff thanks to Todd Grantham’s defense and an 8-4 record. 

Florida was objectively at their peak since Urban Meyer left. However, they felt like they were stuck thanks to recruiting rankings and constantly comparing themselves to their archrival. 

So they made a change. 

To be very clear, I don’t even know if it was a bad decision at this point. What transpired after felt like the biggest uphill battle for any coach that has come through this program since Ron Zook had to replace Steve Spurrier. 

This is not a Billy Napier excuse train or apology tour. There are some glaring issues and problems that reared its head for Florida and the sport of college football as a whole seemingly the moment he was hired. Napier inherited a program where the cupboard was bare from the previous regime. He also accepted his first Power Four job at a place that was hungry for success and had rabid fanbases and a top booster program in the entire country. 

Oh, and by the way, he also came in right at the infancy of NIL, the transfer portal, and slew of other ongoing changes to the landscape of college football that coaches from the previous 150 years of the sport didn’t have to deal with. 

If that wasn’t bad enough, there was also the issue of Florida’s schedule. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: if you told me that Kirby Smart or Vol Twitter made this schedule for Florida, I’d be inclined to believe you. 

The Gators already played Georgia and perennial in-state power Florida State every single year. Then someone added Miami to that gauntlet after they spent nearly $20 million on their roster including a No. 1 overall NFL Draft Pick. Add in LSU, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss to the mix too. And, for good measure, give them road games to CFP teams like Tennessee and Texas. 

Who could survive that? 

There were glimmers of hope last year. There’s of course the 5 Star all world, elite talent at quarterback DJ Lagway. There were four straight wins at the end of last season. Not to mention the almost wins that felt much bigger than they probably should have against Tennessee and Georgia. 

An 8-5 finish should have been met with a parade given all the circumstances I just laid out. 

Instead it was met with even higher expectations. In this case “higher” was just a synonym for “unrealistic.” 

Now we are two games into the 2025 season and Florida, the team, and their fans especially appear to be spiraling thanks to a home loss to South Florida on Saturday. Things aren’t going to get any easier either. Billy Napier is doubling down on being the playcaller for the offense, and they’re about to embark on a part of their schedule where they play five ranked teams in the top 25 including four in the top ten over their next six games. 

Florida fans have been adamant at how desperate they are for a win this weekend in Baton Rouge. 

They’re wrong. 

They don’t need a win. They need a reset.