Billy Napier And Florida "Tempering Expectations"

The University of Florida got their guy this offseason when it came to finding and hiring their next head football coach after firing Dan Mullen. The former head coach at Louisiana Lafayette, Billy Napier, is just beginning his first spring in Gainesville after inheriting a program that many would perceive as a potential sleeping giant.

And after hearing what Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times had to say about the Gators so far under coach Napier, it seems like the new headman is already starting to "temper expectations."

"They've got a lot of good players, but they're not on the Georgia level, we saw that in Jacksonville last year. I think Billy Napier wants to temper expectations."

-@MBakerTBTimes is covering the open of spring camp at Florida this week
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) March 16, 2022

Napier's predecessor Mullen found success early on in Gainesville after replacing Jim McElwain, as he led the Gators to back-to-back ten-win seasons in his first two years on the job, both ending with wins in a New Years Six bowl game. But it didn't take long for his lack of top-tier recruiting to hurt the program. Despite beating Georgia and winning the SEC East in 2020, the first and only time those two events occurred under Mullen, the Gators finished off the year on a three-game losing streak, which included a shocking loss to LSU on the regular-season finale, then Alabama in the SEC Championship, before losing to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.

A downturn in results left a sour taste in the mouth of many before the situation became even sourer after Mullen spent much of the offseason trying to land an NFL head coaching job. After a disappointing 6-7 season where Mullen lost his job, Napier is now tasked with replenishing a depleted roster and restoring expectations.

The Gator faithful are excited yet again about the future of their program, which is now prompting Napier to attempt to "temper expectations" for this season as the rebuild in Gainesville will not happen overnight.

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