GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — No one can deny Florida’s improvement this season — not even coach Billy Napier’s most ardent critics. The Gators (4-4, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) have made strides since lopsided losses to Miami and Texas A&M during the first month of the season.
Napier shored up his shaky defense, found a potential star in freshman quarterback DJ Lagway and developed young talent on both sides of the ball. It’s the kind of progress that has caught everyone’s attention, inside and outside the program. And it should earn Napier at least another season.
No matter what happens down the stretch in November, the Gators seem ready to move forward with Napier as their head coach. And it might not be pretty Saturday considering Lagway is unlikely to play at No. 5 Texas because of a strained left hamstring.
Florida is expected to turn to third-string quarterback Aidan Warner, a transfer from Yale, when it faces the Longhorns (7-1, 3-1) for the first time since 1940. “We all want things faster, right?” said Napier, who is 15-18 over three seasons in Gainesville. “I think life and football are no different.
It tests our patience. ..
. “Obviously, we were very disappointed in how we started the year. But I have a ton of respect for (this) group of players, the body of work since the open date.
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I think the mindset, the competitive spirit, the improvement, the football improvement, I think the tape speaks for itself.” Most notably, the Gators went toe-to.