Billy Napier, Florida prove they’ve turned corner with Mississippi win

There he was in the middle of it all at The Swamp, standing and smiling and soaking it all in.

The greatest comeback since Lazarus.

It wasn’t long ago that Florida’s deep-pocket boosters pooled together millions to fire Gators coach Billy Napier. Save that cash, folks. 

Better yet, throw it at the Florida NIL collective. Napier isn’t going anywhere.

“We’re just getting started,” Napier said after Florida’s 24-17 upset of No. 9 Mississippi on Saturday that secured bowl eligibility for the Gators. “This is part of the big picture journey.”

From embattled to emboldened, in six short weeks. 

This improbable climb, this you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me rise from the rabbit hole of firing coaches and paying tens of millions in walkaway money, has finally reached the surface.

To the big, beautiful light of winning games. 

If a win over LSU last week was hope, a convincing win over Ole Miss – the biggest win for not just Napier, but in 16 years for the floundering Florida program – is a statement of defiance. 

So he waked into the post-game press conference, and opened it by saying, ‘What do they say, are you not entertained?’

Marcus Aurelius himself couldn’t have said it better.

There are numerous winners in this comeback for the ages, all contributing to what one day could be the turning point of Napier’s successful tenure at Florida. But none more than the coach who, prior to his biggest win in three seasons, was 16-19 in 35 career games as the Gators coach.

It was falling apart in a cacophony of self-inflicted wounds and poor coaching, and was only a matter of time before Napier was fired and took everyone – the athletic director, a talented group of underclassmen, the hope of a passionate but gutted fan base – down with him. 

Florida boosters, infamous for their impatience, wanted Napier out and wanted to hire – how about this for irony? – Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss. In an absolutely stunning transformation, that was Kiffin on the sidelines at The Swamp, a dumfounded look on his face as his quarterback threw another interception to officially end the game. 

And that was Napier on the other side, a measured smile and a gracious soliloquy for television after the game. 

He better have gone off in that postgame locker room. He better have raised his voice and shouted from all high and declared this game, this moment, is where everything changes.

This is where Florida, which hasn’t won the SEC or been nationally relevant since 2008, turns the corner.

This is where Florida, which has thumbed through coach after coach (Will Muschamp, Jim McElwain, Dan Mullen) since 2011 while desperately trying to find the next Steve Spurrier or Urban Meyer, sells the future to one of the three most talented states for high school recruits.

This is where Florida, which has ceded the SEC to Alabama and Georgia and LSU over the last 16 seasons, starts the turn to make it all the way back. 

It’s hard to ignore what Napier has been building over the last six weeks, and how it’s now clearly coming into focus. The Gators should’ve beaten Tennessee in Knoxville (lost in overtime), and – but for an injury to quarterback DJ Lagway – could’ve beaten Georgia earlier this month.

We only focused on the losses, and how much closer they brought Napier to the inevitable reality of unemployment. We ignored a talented core of underclassmen beginning to figure it out, and a rare talent at quarterback with the ability to not only play at a high level — but get others to play to their ceiling, too. 

The defense, an historical mess over the last two seasons, got better when a group of players showed up at Napier’s office and told him the scheme had to change. It had to be simplified. 

Napier listened, and the unit has developed into one of the best in the SEC. Ole Miss had three trips inside the red zone Saturday, and didn’t get a point. 

Ole Miss failed on two critical fourth-down attempts, ending 65- and 69-yard drives with nothing to show for it. The Gators had four sacks and harassed Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart into his worst game of the season. 

This from a defense that couldn’t stop Miami if the season depended on it, and couldn’t stop Texas A&M’s backup quarterback if Napier’s job was on the line. Like it was. 

But not anymore. 

Billy Napier has climbed out of the hole, and into the big beautiful light of winning. 

Are you not entertained?

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.