No. 13 Florida Gators’s loss to South Florida on Saturday in Gainesville was one of the vital beautiful upsets early within the 2025 faculty soccer season, and it has put Florida coach Billy Napier firmly again on the new seat.
Even coming off a win over Boise State final week, few anticipated the Bulls to have sufficient for the Gators over 60 minutes in The Swamp; USF entered the sport as 18.5-point underdogs. Nonetheless, every week after Alex Golesh’s group shut down Boise’s offense, they did the identical to DJ Lagway and the Gators, holding Florida to 16 factors and pulling off the upset on a walk-off area aim to win 18-16.
South Florida shocks No. 13 Florida on 20-yard walk-off FG as late penalties price Gators
Cameron Salerno
How a lot is Billy Napier’s contract buyout at Florida?
That loss instantly sparked an indignant response from the Florida fan base, with many questioning what the price could be to eliminate Napier. Napier signed a seven-year, $51.8 million deal again in 2021 with a base wage that will increase $100,000 yearly. His wage for 2025 is $7.4 million, with one other $22.8 million on account of him over the subsequent three seasons by means of January 2029.
The Florida coach’s buyout is 85% of his present remaining contract, which might be $19.38 million after this season, with 50% of the buyout (~$9.7 million) being due inside 30 days of Napier being fired and the remainder being paid out in equal installments each July by means of 2028. There isn’t a offset for the buyout if Napier will get one other job.
Saturday’s loss to USF was the Gators’ worst since 2021 in opposition to South Carolina after they had been a 20.5-point favourite and worst non-SEC loss since their 2013 defeat to Georgia Southern. That loss was the start of the top for Will Muschamp in Gainesville, and this loss to USF would possibly do the identical for Napier.
A 12 months in the past, Napier was staring down an identical destiny and coached his means out of it as Florida closed its season sturdy and constructed optimism into 2025 due to the emergence of Lagway as an obvious budding star. Now, the query can be simply how a lot leeway Napier is given to work his means by means of this season and what end result could be wanted for the Florida coach to maintain his job.
The duty for Napier would not get simpler this week, as a visit to Baton Rouge to face No. 3 LSU awaits in Week 3, however maybe Napier can quiet the requires his job by bouncing again with a giant highway upset of his personal.
