I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen the Florida football fan base so bitterly divided as it is now. My point of view is largely formed by social media — which, to be fair, doesn’t seem to bring the best out in a lot of people — and what I see on the Gator Country Bullgator Den — which, to be fair, attracts a certain kind of hardcore fan who is willing to pay for access to a message board.
That said, I posted a somewhat resigned message after the UCF win: “Facing a team with lesser talent, going up 24-3 at the half and winning 24-13… that’s Napier football for you.”
Whew, buddy. I got a couple dozen replies excoriating me for being negative after a win. There were plenty of people who agreed with me about the underwhelming quality of the game, and I have been accused of being a Debbie Downer plenty over the years. Still, I can’t remember people telling me with such vitriol that I should’ve enjoyed a win more.
After the Tennessee loss, I predicted that Florida wouldn’t fire Napier: “I don’t think Florida would fire Napier for that… they outperformed expectations, and the defense has actually looked good for two weeks in a row now. But, like, he really could’ve used that win once they start playing all the top 10-15 teams”
This time I had lots of people replying and quoting that post, complaining that I was making excuses, or not being critical, or take your pick. Not being negative enough, in other words. Notable side point: UF didn’t fire Napier.
Both situations were people lashing out emotionally after the heightened experience of a game, so I don’t blame anyone (except those using bad enough language that I chose to mute them). A lot of folks were dreading the idea of UCF winning. The Knights were the Vegas favorite at kickoff, after all. And then there were a ton of opportunities that went untaken in a narrow loss to a rival in Tennessee. That sort of thing will drive a person extra mad.
Experiences like that combined with the GC environment these days lead me to believe there’s a big divide, however.
I think the reason is because the dying of the Napier regime has been a longer time coming than any since Ron Zook. The Zooker may have defeated eventual national champ LSU in 2003, but he never had a breakthrough year. There was no ten-win season to point to. Someone opened up a website calling for his firing on the day he was hired. That was a years-long battle too.
Will Muschamp went 11-2 in 2012. Jim McElwain went 10-4 in 2015, and he won the East division in each of his first two seasons. Dan Mullen went 10-3 and 11-2 in his first two seasons, and he went to a New Year’s Six bowl in each of his first three. His third featured a division win and a Heisman finalist too.
Napier has none of that. He went 6-6 in his first year and lost the bowl to fall below .500. He went 5-7 last year, and it’s going to take a miracle to surpass that record this year. He also has the misfortune of following three other failed coaches, so there isn’t a lot of patience in reserve among the fans to draw upon.
The closest thing to this year was Muschamp’s final season in 2014. A lot of people wanted Coach Boom fired after the 4-8 season in 2013, which was still a major shock in a way the other bowl-less seasons since haven’t been. He got his extra year I think mainly because ’13 saw a major injury plague, but also he went 11-2 the year before that. He built up equity enough with that record such that he wasn’t bankrupt after how badly his third season went.
When the McElwain and Mullen tenures collapsed, it happened so quickly that there wasn’t time for differing factions to form, dig in, and snipe at each other. Neither was on any hot seat lists heading into their final seasons. Mullen even finished September of 2021 with a 3-1 record, with the only loss being by two points to reigning national champ Alabama and a win over Tennessee to boot.
I think the divide comes down to this. Everyone wants the same thing: Florida to be competitive with all opponents and to win championships with regularity.
Some folks just want to root for the team to succeed and be happy about any kind of win because it’s a win. That’s why you play the games: to try to win.
Others look at everything in the frame of whether UF is on track to achieve those goals in the big picture. Some of the more strident of this camp might actually express dismay at wins or suggest rooting against the team to lose if it means getting rid of a coach they think is incapable of winning titles. The less strident come off as complaining or just being negative all the time.
I empathize with both camps because I am in both camps. When the Gators are playing, I root for them to win every time. Period. I feel good after wins; I feel disappointed, angry, and/or frustrated after losses. I also do judge everything through a lens of what it takes to win championships, because that’s the ultimate goal after all.
These two groups can certainly get on each others’ nerves. For those with their eyes constantly on the big picture of whether progress towards championships is being made, the ones who just want to win every game come off as naive or unsophisticated. To those who just want to be happy with wins, the analyzers can come off as joyless wet blankets (or worse).
If someone is pleased that, after the offensive desert of the Muschamp and Mac years, Mullen delivered 35 points per game in 2018, they won’t want to hear about how the 2019 bump class was insufficient and a sign that Mullen wasn’t recruiting well enough to win a title. And if someone is relentlessly focused on winning titles, they aren’t going to want to hear about how an 11-point win over a mediocre UCF team with a scoreless second half is a cause for celebration.
The only thing that’s going to heal the rift is winning, and soon. Every new coach who fails frays trust in the athletic department for everyone, and every failed experiment leaves less patience for the next guy. Florida fans of every stripe have seen head coaches fail in so many ways by now that they catch on to warning signs incredibly early.
I hate seeing things like this, and I don’t think it’s going to get better between now and Thanksgiving. The leadership vacuum at UF — with an AD on shaky ground and an interim university president — I think means that we’re not going to see bold action. If Napier’s on the express train to 4-8 or 3-9, and he will be if he loses to Kentucky, then pressure to make a move will build tremendously.
There are no easy answers, and it’s going to be a trying time. Do your best to make it through, and try to avoid arguments. No one is enjoying this. There’s no need to make it worse by fighting with fellow fans.