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There was hope from Florida fans before the game that the Gators could turn a corner under head coach Billy Napier against Texas A&M on Saturday. By the time halftime came around, it was clear that this team was obviously not headed in the right direction and the decision to make a change should be on the minds of Florida administrators. 

Texas A&M walked into the ‘Swamp’ with backup quarterback Marcel Reed being tasked to lead the Aggies after it was clear this week that Connor Weigman would not be able to play due to an injury. So the stage was set for the Gators to grab a big win behind quarterbacks Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway. 

Didn’t happen. A 33-20 victory was the first road win since 2021 for Texas A&M, which had lost 10 straight games away from home. 

After Mertz sustained a concussion two weeks ago, Lagway turned a few heads with his performance against an undermanned Samford team last week. There was hope that this could be a turning point for Florida, with a daunting schedule ahead, and the fact that Texas A&M would be playing with a backup quarterback. 

Turns out, there’s nothing the Florida defense could do to stop the Aggies rushing attack on Saturday, giving up more than 200 yards on the ground through three quarters. Simply put, this Florida team looked like a squad that was searching for answers at the wrong time, and the scoreboard showed it. Trailing 33-7 until DJ Lagway threw a touchdown pass late in the third quarter, fans had already made their way towards the parking lot, which should be a sign of things to come. 

The box-score looked disgusting with eight minutes remaining in the game, with Texas A&M out-gaining Florida, 446-217. 

There has only been one game in the past eight contests that Florida has held a power-4 opponent to under 30 points in a game. Call it whatever you like, but that is an atrocious stat for a Gators team that is seemingly hanging on for dear life for the remainder of this season. 

There’s the problem. Florida fans shouldn’t have to ‘hope’ that they can stay competitive in games, which is, unfortunately, where this program is at now. And the blame cannot be dispersed anywhere else besides the office of head coach Billy Napier. We have reached a point in his tenure where apathy is starting to set in for fans of the program, and that is usually the death-nail for an athletic department. 

How do the Gators expect to sell the future when fans are paying to see these types of performances? You can’t, as we’ve seen with other programs recently. I have been preaching over the past month that Florida had to win games against the Aggies and Mississippi State next week, with UCF coming to town in the first week of October. 

It's time for Florida to make a move from Billy Napier, following another rough loss

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Head coach Billy Napier of the Florida Gators looks on before the start of a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 14, 2024. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

It’s Time For the Dysfunctional Florida Athletic Department To Make Moves

But now? It’s time for the athletic department to start making calls about who would be interested in leading the Gators into the future. Now that the NCAA recruiting calendar has changed, with the transfer portal moving up and high school recruiting becoming such a high priority in the first week of December, the move needs to be made. 

Florida cannot wait until November, in hopes that Napier will somehow turn this ship around. Have you seen the back-half of the Gators schedule? It only gets harder from here. And if Texas A&M can stroll into town and beat Florida with ease, playing with a backup quarterback, imagine what other teams are going to do to this Gators defense. 

It’s not getting any easier, and the results won’t get any better based off what we saw tonight against the Aggies. 

There are college football programs that waited too long for a decision to be made, and they paid for it when it came to coaches that were available. I’m not implying that there will be a coach that leaves his current team right now to take over the Gators, but Florida can start the process of speaking with agent Jimmy Sexton on who the next head coach COULD be. 

It's time for Florida to make a move from Billy Napier, following another rough loss

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Marcel Reed of the Texas A&M Aggies looks to pass during the first half of a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 14, 2024. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

And for that reason alone, there’s no reason to have Billy Napier sticking around the building, knowing in the back of his mind that he’s on the chopping block weekly. 

We’ve seen enough from this coaching staff. We know what to expect and how this defense looks. Sure, Napier could play DJ Lagway for the rest of the season, trying to incite hope into the veins of Florida fans, but the jig is up. You can’t fool the Gator faithful, and by acting like everything is fine, you are making them look like fools for thinking something will change. 

It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when Florida decides to make a move. Just because you may win a game against Mississippi State next weekend, it doesn’t mean the program is in the right hands. 

If we see this type of performance from Florida over the next few weeks, I don’t know how you trot Billy Napier out of the tunnel in Knoxville to play a Tennessee team that will run circles around this Gators defense.