GAINESVILLE — Sophomore linebacker Myles Graham was honed in on homecoming, leaving him unprepared when UF fired Billy Napier a day after the Gators slipped by Mississippi State Saturday in the Swamp.
“I honestly wasn’t thinking about that,” he said Monday. “I was just focused on the game plan. I was focused on getting a win, and we got that done.”
A narrow 23-21 victory against a program with 15 straight SEC losses wasn’t enough to save Napier and avoid the inevitable. Picked to finish sixth in the SEC and a potential dark horse for a CFP bid, the Gators (3-4, 2-2 SEC) now aim to avoid the program’s fourth losing season in five seasons.
Napier’s on-field struggles and fan discontent, including boos directed at him following Saturday’s win, did not soften the gut punch his players felt after he was let go.
“We were all pretty upset about it,” redshirt senior center Jake Slaughter said. “We understand that it’s a production business, and it is what it is.”
When Napier arrived after the 2021 season, Slaughter was a redshirt freshman and former 3-star prospect from Ocala who had appeared in one college game. But he would become the anchor of the offensive line and earn first-team All-America honors in 2024.
Florida head coach Billy Napier walks on the field during a timeout as center Jake Slaughter (66) reacts during the Gators’ 23-21 win against Mississippi State Oct. 18 in Gainesville. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Slaughter, 22, will remember Napier for being more than a coach who developed him as a player.
“He came in and he treated me like I was one of those guys that he recruited,” Slaughter said. “He cared for me more than anything, and he taught us all so much — just being a good man, being a good ball player, taking care of your guys.
“I can’t talk enough about the type of imprint he left on us and our character.”
Outpourings from players on social media followed Napier’s ouster.
One of the first to post on X was Graham, who delivered a picture of him and Napier and wrote, “Thank You For Everything Coach.”
“He meant the world to me,” Graham said. “Coach Napier, he’s a great dude, and he taught me so much. I learned a lot of lessons from him throughout my time here, even when I was a recruit. And I wish him the best.
“I’m really thankful for him.”
Napier signed every scholarship player on UF’s current roster but Slaughter, left tackle Austin Barber, defensive end Tyreak Sapp and long snapper Rocco Underwood.
Sophomore signal caller DJ Lagway ended up on Napier’s radar during the summer prior his first season in 2022. The 2023 Gatorade Player of Year out of Willis, Texas, signed in December 2023, giving Napier his program’s quarterback of the future.
Instead, Lagway will play for a new coach in 2026.
“It’s been hard,” he said. “Coach Billy Napier recruited me here. I’m forever thankful for him. My family’s forever thankful for him. But at the end of the day, we still got to continue to get better. Me, personally, I got to continue to take each and every day as another day to improve at my craft — and I’m excited for the opportunity.”
Lagway hinted he plans to return next season for whomever UF hires.
“I’m a Florida Gator,” he said. “My biggest focus right now is these five games.”
The team’s leading tackler, Graham — whose father Earnest played running back at Florida from 1999-2002 — was unequivocal he’d be back for whomever is on the sideline.
“I definitely came to play for Coach Napier,” he said. “But I more importantly came to play for the logo.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
