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Steve Spurrier weighed in on the state of Florida football under embattled coach Billy Napier, and the HBC’s assessment came off as anything but a ringing endorsement.
Florida Times-Union columnist Gene Frenette quoted Spurrier questioning the direction of Napier’s Gators in a recent column. The most biting quote?
“There’s a feeling around the Gators of, ‘What the heck are we doing?’ There’s a lot of questions that I don’t have the answers to about organization,” Spurrier told the veteran Jacksonville columnist.
Yes, indeed: What the heck is going on at Florida? By most appearances, in all kinds of weather, the Gators aren’t sticking to together.
On this edition of “SEC Football Unfiltered,” a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams react to Spurrier’s comments and assess Napier’s standing at UF.
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Their assessment: Napier faces turbulent times ahead.
Hiring Napier was a risk. He lacked Power Five head coaching experience, but he came with a few well-regarded traits. He was seen as being thorough and meticulously organized, qualities that helped him thrive coaching the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. And he had a reputation for being a good recruiter. The latter, especially, was seen as an important characteristic. Napier’s predecessor, Dan Mullen, was portrayed as being a somewhat disinterested recruiter. Could Napier offer a pivot?
He didn’t.
TOPPMEYER: What would it cost to hire Steve Spurrier? Enough to make Barry Switzer gasp
WHITLEY Why Florida’s NIL collective is altering its strategy
FRENETTE: Billy Napier needs more than DJ Lagway to resurrect Florida Gators. Listen to Steve Spurrier
Perhaps it’s a product of bad timing. Napier proved himself in an era before NIL and transfer free agency. For whatever reason, the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/even-steve-spurrier-questioning-floridas-120534122.html
Author : The Gainesville Sun
Publish date : 2024-03-06 12:05:34
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