Gators' Billy Napier Prepares for Rematch with Tulane

It's a while since the Gators have faced Tulane, but for Billy Napier, the way the chips fell set him up for another redemption game

This game will be a little more personal for Napier | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Florida Gators are just over a week away from taking on the Tulane Green Wave in the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa. While it’s the first time that the Gators will face Tulane since 1984, this will be a rematch for head coach Billy Napier. 

In his first season as the coach of the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (2018), he faced the Green Wave, then under head coach Willie Fritz, in the Cure Bowl. Tulane pulled ahead early with a 21-7 lead in the first quarter. Louisiana never recovered and lost 41-24. 

Napier knows what Tulane is capable of pulling off and is going to make sure his team comes to play.  

“Having competed against Tulane in the past, that part of the country, the athletes that they have, the pride on how they compete this is a team that beat Southern Cal a couple years ago in the bowl game, and then obviously played Kansas State very close this past season. So, we knocked the rust off the last couple days, and we are going to be full gear today, put the ball down and turn it up out there.”

The success established under Fritz, who took the head coaching job at Houston, in 2022 and 2023 has carried over into the first season under Jon Sumrall. They reached the AAC Championship Game for the third straight year and will be in a bowl game for the third year in a row as well. 

However, Napier won’t necessarily be seeing the same Tulane team that finished 9-4 this season.  Two of Tulane's three quarterbacks, including starter Darian Mensah, entered their names into the transfer portal. Mensah has already committed to Duke for next season. 

This loss for Tulane has shifted the odds heavily in Florida’s favor. ESPN likes their odds. Napier should too. 

The Gators seek their first bowl win since they beat Virginia 36-28 in the 2019 Orange Bowl. Meanwhile, Napier seeks his first bowl win since the 2020 First Responder Bowl, where they took down UTSA 31-24. This would be the third bowl win of Napier’s career. 

There have been a few redemption games this year for Napier and company. He beat Kentucky and LSU. The win over Ole Miss was his first top-10 win since the first game coached at Florida. He can kill two birds with one stone here: Get his first Gators bowl win and get payback against Tulane.