OldDevilDawg
'21 Co-PotY
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The Billy Napier era at Florida might be over sooner than we expected.
According to a recent report from ESPN, Florida is under NCAA investigation due to the recruitment of quarterback Jalen Rashada.
From The Athletic: According to the two sources with knowledge of the investigation, the NCAA has inquired about the role of Florida staff member Marcus Castro-Walker, who is listed on the school’s website as director of player engagement and NIL, and booster Hugh Hathcock, who pledged $12.6 million to Florida’s athletic department in April 2022 and later launched the Gator Guard collective. Multiple Hathcock tweets posted right before Rashada’s commitment, hinting at a great day coming for Florida, also alluded to possible involvement in the deal.
It's not out of the question that Napier could get wrapped up in this investigation if it's revealed that he was involved in any way with Rashada's NIL deal.
And if that happens, Gators Online's Nick de la Torre thinks it's possible that Napier could face a situation where he could be fired "for cause" by Florida.
“It certainly smells like it could be a for-cause situation if your actions cause the program to go on probation,” said de la Torre during a recent interview with On3's Andy Staples.
Napier is 11-14 through his first two seasons at Florida (the same record that Derek Dooley had through his first two seasons at Tennessee). He's already firmly on the hot seat entering the 2024 season, so this isn't a situation where Florida is going to fight to keep Napier.
