Orlando Sentinel: UF AD Scott Stricklin Insists Billy Napier Is Not On Hot Seat

You are correct and I should not have used that blanket statement.

 

Come on man, do you really not understand repeating your position is not how you debate, let alone have a conversation?

 

Stating an opinion and defending it are 2 different things. 'Nuff said about that, though. Yes - I was off on the age thing with you. The fact that you just recently showed up on the board made me think you were young. My mistake. Like I said before and will say again - I have NEVER called for Billy Napier to be fired and I, unlike some on these boards, believe he will be given 4 full seasons to prove whether or not he can get our Gators back in the hunt. With NIL and SEC expansion, he definitely has his hands full - on that I think we'll agree. But I honestly don't believe a bunch of people giving opinions on message boards has any bearing on recruiting or the program itself. You probably disagree. You think he's the guy and I want him to be. But our main difference, I think, is that you and some see evidence of progress and I and others don't. You're optimistic about 2024; I'm hopeful, but pessimistic. I'm extremely optimistic about our baseball & softball teams, to which I'm about ready to divert most of my attention very soon, as I'm already doing with our gymnastics team. I follow all Gator sports and am involved in threads about them all. Love talking Gator sports. Hate the sniping as well. Kumbaya

 

Even if the schools pay the players a salary, it won’t stop NIL. Fans of other schools will continue to supplement, and if your school isn’t doing the same, they’ll be left behind.

 

Only contracts or restrictions on transferring can do anything about stabilizing things. And I guess the courts have already said that you can’t restrict transfers.

 

I appreciate everyone who contributes here. Yes, there's a difference between an educated guess and backing up statements with evidence. I have done that all my life. No pun intended, but I make a stab at doing that here. My confession is that I read a ton to grasp what's going on in Gainesville, since I am no longer there. And that's probably my biggest concern when any of us attempts to diagnose the Gator program. Most of us aren’t at practices, and we don't know the team like the coaches know them. We don't understand a players strengths and weaknesses; nor do we have the luxury of interacting with other coaches to discuss those players to add perspective. I can say what I think needs to happen, but I am not there in person, and that is an enormous factor.
I have seen a lot happen since I started following the Gators in the 1950's. I detest a 7 or 8 win season, so you have an inkling of my feelings about the record over the last three years.
Actually, I knew the program was in trouble when the Gators lost to Bama in 09. Tebow wasn't returning and Cam Newton messed up. The program has been hamstrung since then. Every coach was given a decent chance. Mullen lost interest and gave up, and I could see that clear from the Northwest. Seriously, what did Billy have to work with; an unproven, inexperienced, phenom qb, who had lots of growing pains? The first two years had a great deal of similarity--young players with very little experience. Mertz was one of the exceptions, but, like AR, it was his first year playing with the team. Mertz surprised the heck out of everyone! The football pundits charged Billy with poor assessment of quarterback talent. They were flat-out wrong!!! The issue for Mertz was not a cohesive and experienced line. And Gator Nation wants to judge BN on his resume at Florida? Some said he would not do that well. Last year, prognosticators said the Gators would only have three wins.
For decades, our recruiting has been atrocious! We can't and we won't see much happening until the recruiting turns around. We have a coach who finally gets it!!! Is he the best game day coach? Like Shane Matthews, I think his playcalling is "fine." I want better than fine, and I am hopeful by the talent he is recruiting that it will get there.
I have a feeling about this fall. If this line produces, as I think it can, I will not be shocked by 8 wins. Mertz is that good, but will his supporting cast be? The question marks are the line, receiver's, and the defense. We shall see!

 

You mean Steve Spurrier, Bill Arnsberger notwithstanding. Eighties Gators remember the child support payments to Jarvis Williams, supplements to his assistants, and the boosters' desire for SOS.

Remember Galen was the same coach that guided Florida to back-to-back 9-1-1 seasons...

A bit touchy because I was a huge Galen Hall fan...

 

I would truly love to see that. Go Gators!

 

Damn, the 50’s. You old son. At least you have your wits about you. I’m a whippersnapper I gues but I’d did see Wes at my first cocktail party.

 

Yes, the wink should have tipped it off, but I was being sarcastic. Gary Darnell, as you might recall, was the interim head coach after Galen Hall was fired. Obviously, for better or worse (mostly better), Hall was moved aside to make room for Spurrier, who was tearing it up at Duke in 1989. Everyone just knew he was going to be our next head coach (probably even Hall). The only question was when.

 

Ok buddy let’s debate. Say when

 

I don’t think he’s the guy — he is the guy. And until he isn’t, I’m 100% behind him.

Go Gators

 

The irony of your post is the only time we have had the level of success you indicate is via musical chairs.

Either way stability is never the goal. Stability is the result of a combination of success and culture.

Keeping a bad coach around just guarantees a perpetual bad program. Bad coaches do not suddenly learn how to be great.

We aren’t at that point with Billy. He gets another year. But let’s stop comparing him with Meyer and SOS. The first goal is a .500 season. Baby steps.

 

Everybody supports him and hopes he does well. But a coach isn’t a deity.We cannot improve unless we are humble enough to recognize mistakes.

 

Do you really think @wci347 needs this to be explained to him?

 

Come on man, do you really not understand repeating your position is not how you debate, let alone have a conversation?

 

Harbaugh was 4-8 and 5-7 his first two years at Stanford. You would have fired him. 6 of the 9 years he was at Michigan they lost 3 or more games presumptively eliminating them from either the Big 10 or National Championship is that success? Is that culture? Yet they kept him despite all his failures to OSU, and it paid off. What changed at Michigan? They averaged a 13th-ranked recruiting class in 8 of the 9 years of his tenure. That is good enough to get you to Big 10 championships today, but not good enough to get you to SEC championships.

Napier went 33-5 his last three years at Louisiana with 3-star talent (granted many of the teams he played against had similar talent which points to his coaching acumen).

What success have Kirk Ferentz, Iowa: 24 years, Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State: 19 years, Kyle Whittingham, Utah: 19 years, Troy Calhoun, Air Force: 17 years, and Dave Doeren, NC State: 11 years had? None of them has even played for an NC let alone won one. The difference between those coaches and Napier is that he coaches a team that CAN bring in the talent on both sides of the ball year in and year out ( remember Muschamp who could only bring in defensive talent). You can't say they are successful coaches. They are at schools where the fan base is not going to have unreasonable expectations year in and year out like here at Florida. We have won 3 championships in 117 years. There is no winning culture here in Florida. Stop deluding yourself. Perhaps Spurrier and Meyer would have gotten us to that point had they stayed, but expectations ran them off also.

Urban had NINE top 3 recruiting classes between Florida and OSU and won 3 national championships. Almost 25% of his seasons resulted in 3 or more losses during that tenure.

So we have had two with Napier with 3 and 4-star recruits almost across the board, and many 3-star recruit backups. As he builds depth, we will see a resulting improvement in our outcomes

Stability is the goal because it fosters a successful recruiting environment for those who can recruit. Bringing in a Jimbo gets you three years if despite being able to recruit and despite having won an NC at FSU, you don't win.

Napier did not have the players to win. It was painfully obvious, and yet he got the most out of what he had. Now he has turned the page and has brought in top-tier talent both from HS and the portal on both sides of the ball.

 

Are you seriously comparing STANFORD to FLORIDA? Expectations are a bit higher at Florida. You can’t possible equate two losing seasons at Stanford to two at Florida. And btw I said Napier should get a third year.

But since you brought it up, Harbaugh immediately had Stanford improving.
The year before him they went 1-11. Harbaugh improved them to 4-8 but that included at win over #1 USC. So yeah, clear improvement.

And Harbaugh also had Michigan clearly improving. Take a look at what was happening for the years before Harbaugh. He immediately improved their record.

Harbaugh actually totally disproves your point. When he shows up teams get better quickly.

So your point is we should have Oklahoma State or Iowa level expectations? Despite better history, better recruiting ground, and more money? And besides they aren’t winning because they are stable, they win bc they are solid coaches. They’ve been solid for a long time. Regardless if all you care about is being borderline top 25 then you should have no problem flipping coaches. It takes serious effort to be far worse than a borderline top 25 team at Florida. There are 75+ coaches that could keep us in that range consistently, Napier probably included.

 

Harbaugh stole signals.


I’ve got some great binoculars Billy. I’m ready when you are.

 

And when you have top recruits who are more likely to enroll in a program where the coach is not perennially on the hot seat from when he signs the contract to coach, you then get "coaches on the field" who get other players on the same page. The fact that you can't see the correlation between top recruiting classes and great coaching successes is baffling.

Harbaugh was 4-8 and 5-7 his first two years at Stanford. You would have called him a poor coach and called for his firing. Not only is such a rash assessment irrational it is absurd. You cannot attribute poor coaching to a coach who does not have the players. Jimbo had the players.and for whatever reason, could not get the job done (and didn't even come close).

I would submit that as we started losing games at the end of the season in part because of questionable coaching decisions but more so because the level of talent/confidence/experience was minimal on the field for us, people like you called for Napier's firing and yes, such comments became fuel by other programs to lure the top 3 class we had away from us. A guy comes to your house to sell you a dream that he is going to help make possible for you, and you are reading how reviled that guy is by the fan base that is going to be cheering you on every Saturday. NO THANK YOU said many of the recruits who bolted.

So if you want to look at one of the reasons our rebuild has been protracted despite having a coach who does have a track record of winning (33-3 his last 3 years at Louisiana), and who brought NFL talent to our program (Torrence and Johnson), look in the mirror.