Billy Napier will not hand over the headset yet. The Florida Gators head coach will continue calling plays in the 2025 season, which has sparked frustration among fans. Many believe in his leadership but question his in-game play-calling abilities. As he heads into his pivotal fourth year, Napier is open to collaboration but won’t let go of the reins when it comes to play-calling.
Billy Napier Faces Backlash From Florida Fans for His Play-Calling
Florida fans aren’t holding back their frustration, taking to social media to voice their disapproval of Billy Napier’s decision to retain play-calling duties in 2025.
With many head coaches opting to delegate those responsibilities to offensive coordinators in recent seasons, Napier’s reluctance to follow suit has only added to the growing concerns in Gainesville.
Napier has developed a strong connection with quarterback DJ Lagway as he heads into his sophomore season. He doesn’t want to disrupt that chemistry by handing off play-calling duties.
However, critics argue that bringing in a dedicated offensive coordinator could unlock even more potential in Lagway, possibly elevating Florida’s offense beyond what Napier alone can achieve.
Many outside the program believe Napier has too much on his plate as he handles being the Florida head coach and offensive play-caller.
So, on Tuesday, Feb. 11, a debate sprouted on X, where the fans started discussing Napier’s poor play-calling abilities. It started with Saturday Down South’s Neil W. Blackmon talking about the potential of DJ Lagway and whether Napier could capitalize to grab the championship title.
On this note, a fan discussed how Napier’s continued hold on the play-calling duties could be the reason for his downfall in the coming years.
“The enraging part is that Billy Napier does so many things well, but his insistence on continuing to hold the one duty that he’s really bad at (play-calling) will be his downfall. It’s almost like I’ve been saying this for years now. Oh well, you can lead a horse to water…” he wrote.
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In response, one user intervened and asked him if he could back up his claims with some stats.
“Really bad at let me get some stats to back that up just like we want some evidence backing up your politically charged claims too,” they wrote.
In addition to this, another user talked about how Napier isn’t really the best play-caller in college football; however, he disagreed on the part that he is the worst one out there.
“There aren’t any stats to back it up. If he or anyone else who calls out BN for his play calling used words like “mediocre,” “middle of the pack,” or even “inconsistent,” then it would at least make sense. But all of the haters phrase it like he’s the worst play caller ever,” they stated.
However, the fan replied back with proof this time and tried to explain why he believes that the Gators head coach is ‘bad’ at calling the plays.
No. I meant what I said. Billy Napier is not mediocre— he’s really, really bad at calling plays.
Every time Napier faces a key situation as a play-caller, he does the dumbest and most catastrophically self-destructive thing imaginable.
Here’s your data on that, @michael_gator: https://t.co/yd9v5Y08Nk pic.twitter.com/mZPGxs5iVO
— InAllKindsOfWeather.com (@AllKindsWeather) February 11, 2025
“No. I meant what I said. Billy Napier is not mediocre — he’s really, really bad at calling plays. Every time Napier faces a key situation as a play-caller, he does the dumbest and most catastrophically self-destructive thing imaginable,” he wrote.
Still, Napier remains unfazed by the criticism, tuning out the noise as he doubles down on his vision for Florida. Determined to silence the doubters, he’s betting on his own play-calling to guide the Gators back to the national championship.
Napier Breaks Silence About Taking Up Play-Calling Duties
Napier believes that the Gators would be better suited if he were in the background calling the plays for them. He delivered a four-game winning streak at the end of last year’s 8-5 season.
Still, the fans want him to follow in the footsteps of Ryan Day, who gave up on play-calling duties for Ohio State in 2024. As a result, the Buckeyes grabbed the National Championship title under the new offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly.
Napier seems to have different plans.
“It’s what got me here,” he said during National Signing Day. “It’s the way I became the head coach. It’s what’s helped us make progress and win in the past. I’m confident it will help us do that in the future.”
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“We get it,” Napier added. “It’s a production business. My job is to get the team to win, and I try to make decisions that reflect that. I still have conviction about it.”
Despite his passing offenses never cracking the top ranks, peaking at just fifth in the Sun Belt and seventh in the SEC, Napier refuses to back down. Now in his fourth season, the 45-year-old is trying to silence the critics and prove that his system can turn the Gators into a championship-caliber team.
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