The seat had grown scorchingly hot under Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier. A bye week after a win has helped provide some respite.

Florida’s ball security has generally been good under Napier. The Gators ranked in the top 25 in fewest turnovers in both of Napier’s first two seasons. His worst season (14 turnovers in 2022) matched the best by his predecessor, Dan Mullen. But only 14 teams have lost more turnovers this season than UF (six).

Florida coach Billy Napier was supposed to have answers. Or at least some new ideas. Napier was hired in Gainesville in 2021 partly because he had a detailed plan for the Gators to close the gap on Alabama and Georgia in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference and become a legit national championship contender after being mostly an afterthought over the previous decade.

As the hot-seat speculation about Billy Napier’s tenure with the Florida Gators spikes, there are more factors to consider than his 12-16 record and buyout (roughly $27 million). Some of them are specific to Florida.

Former Florida football coach Urban Meyer spoke about a possible return to coach the Gators should Billy Napier be fired. Here's what he said:

Former Florida football star Emmitt Smith said he doesn't believe Gators coach Billy Napier will get a fourth season in Gainesville

It’s no secret that Florida football has been “down bad” for a while now, as the kids say. The Gators suffered convincing losses to both No. 8 Miami and Texas A&M at home and yet head coach Billy Napier claims he’s not worried about his job.