The Florida Gators secured their second win of the season on Saturday, defeating Mississippi State 45-28. Despite this victory, the Gators’ season has been underwhelming so far. Florida entered 2024 with high expectations, but their performance has been inconsistent, even with two wins.
Head coach Billy Napier is feeling the pressure after four games, with his job already in question. However, former Alabama head coach Nick Saban believes Florida’s issues go beyond Napier. Speaking on ESPN College GameDay, Saban suggested that the problem stems from a larger issue, noting the Gators have gone through multiple head coaches since the days of Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer, both of whom fostered a strong winning culture.
Saban also raised concerns about Florida’s approach to its NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) program and facilities, suggesting they haven’t adapted well to the modern landscape of college football. He argued that the program missed opportunities to improve its facilities during Meyer’s tenure and should assess more than just coaching failures, given the struggles of recent coaches like Will Muschamp, Jim McElwain, and Dan Mullen. Napier currently holds a 13-16 record as head coach.
ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit echoed these sentiments, pointing out that Florida only recently completed its facility upgrades and questioning why the Dan Mullen era, which saw more consistent wins, ended the way it did. While the Gators managed a key victory this week, they’ll need to build on that success moving forward.
