Where Billy Napier ranks nationally among Power Five HCs, per College Sports Wire
The first year of the Billy Napier era in Gainesville was not nearly as successful as the Gator Nation had hoped, but considering the deep hole the program has to dig itself out of following Dan Mullen’s tenure, the former Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns coach has a multi-year project on his hands.
College Sports Wire’s Patrick Conn recently put together his rankings for every Power Five school’s head coach, including the Florida Gators. His rankings are not a lifetime achievement list but history does play a factor in the placement of each coach at the Power Five level.
So where does Napier rank in relation to the rest of the nation? Conn has him at No. 45 overall out of 69 total — just behind Michigan State Spartans coach Mel Tucker and a notch ahead of the Houston Cougars’ Dana Holgorsen.
Here is Conn’s justification for Napier’s spot on the list.
Year 1 under Billy Napier didn’t go as planned after the team re-set the season expectations with a win over Utah to open the season. The team finished 6-7 with a loss to Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl. Going into 2023 there are more questions than answers with the biggest area of focus being the quarterback. The team has former Big Ten transfers Graham Mertz and Jack Miller III competing for the starting job.
The Gators open up their 2023 schedule on the road against the Utah Utes on Aug. 31, with the start time still to be determined.
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