Paul Finebaum says Florida fans are ‘ready to move on’ after Billy Napier despite solid October

Paul Finebaum was present for Florida’s 34-20 loss to Georgia in Jacksonville on Saturday as the Gators fell to 4-4 on the season.

The Gators started October with a 24-13 win over UCF before losing 23-17 to Tennessee the following week, then beating Kentucky 48-20 on October 19 for their highest point total of the year. After a bye week, they stayed with the Bulldogs before ultimately suffering a loss.

“I’m spending the weekend with a lot of Florida fans and I’m going to give you my impressions of my conversations with them. They are ready to move on,” Finebaum said.

Finebaum said Florida fans felt Napier’s fate was tied to that of DJ Lagway, who was carted off the field after suffering a hamstring injury in the second quarter.

The argument for keeping Napier, he added, is the possibility that Florida can’t find a can’t-miss candidate for the job.

“I don’t know if there’s a guarantee that he’ll come back, and I know that’s in the cake, but I’m not sure about that,” he said. “It could be a split decision that favors Billy Napier because the only way I would agree with you on firing him is if you have someone who is solid.”