STATE OF FOOTBALL: In Billy Napier, it looks like the Gators got their man (again)

Wow, Scott Stricklin seems really high on his new football hire, Billy Napier.

“I’ve followed and studied Billy Napier’s career with interest, and he became the primary target immediately after this position came open,” Florida’s athletic director declared after the hiring became official. “We felt confident he would be an excellent leader for the Gators, which is why he was the only candidate I met with about the job.”

The Gators have made three previous head-coaching hires in the past decade, and while there were some successes sprinkled throughout, all three coaching tenures ended prematurely in Gainesville. But boy oh boy, were they ever hailed at the get-go.

Somebody has to do it, so here we go. Let’s look at the introductory remarks upon the hiring of those three (former) Gator coaches.

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2010: Will Muschamp

Said AD Jeremy Foley: “We wanted a candidate who was high energy and had been on the big stage. We wanted a candidate who was respected by his players and his peers, and we wanted someone who had a passion for the University of Florida. Coach Muschamp is all of those things and more.”

Muschamp’s Gator record: 28-21, 17-15 in the SEC.

2014: Jim McElwain

Said Foley: “Coach McElwain was someone we targeted from the beginning of the search. The more we worked through the process and did our due diligence, coupled with our meeting and conversations with him and those around him, it was obvious he is the right person to lead the Florida Gator football program.”

McElwain’s Gator record: 22-12, 16-8 in SEC.

2017: Dan Mullen

Said Stricklin: “We wanted to determine if he had the toughness and confidence to lead our young men and be the face of this program. Coach Mullen embodies these traits and is ready for the challenges ahead. I also wanted Florida football to be fun again. Dan Mullen certainly checks those boxes and so many more."

Mullen’s Gator record: 34-15, 21-14 in SEC.

Rank & File

The final regular-season ranking of Florida’s seven big-league college football programs, based on results versus expectations, current trends, and buyout language. This time, we look back at the preseason won-loss prediction for each team, then try to explain it all away ...

1. UCF (8-4)

Preseason prediction: 9-3. Etc.: QB Dillon Gabriel, out most of the year with a broken collarbone, has hit the transfer portal and has plenty of potential landing pads, including Ole Miss with Lane Kiffin. With the new NIL rules and the potential for off-field earnings, Gabriel’s flirtations might become college football’s first “free-agent courtship.”

2. Miami (7-5)

Prediction: 8-4. Manny Diaz’s fate seemingly rests with whomever becomes the new athletic director. Dig enough, and you’ll find whispers of Manny departing and UM trying to lure Lane Kiffin back to south Florida, where he resurrected his career at FAU. The ACC Coastal might seem friendlier than the SEC West for any coach thinking championships.

3. FSU (5-7)

Prediction: 6-6. Etc.: You rarely see a team lose its final game to an in-state rival to finish 5-7 and out of bowl consideration, yet head into the offseason with wind at its back. Not sure if that tells us more about where the ’Noles are or where they were two months ago.

4. Florida (6-6)

Prediction: 9-3. Etc.: Refer back to the lead-in paragraph and take note of that “results versus expectations” item. That’s why the Gators are ranked below the Seminoles here, and frankly, if that was the only criteria, they might be ranked eighth out of seven. Those 15 allowable practices leading to the bowl game will be a big benefit for Billy Napier, by the way.

5. FAU (5-7)

Prediction: 7-5. Etc.: The Owls limped it home with four flats and a leaking radiator. They were 5-3 before losing their last four, and making it worse, they were up 17-3 in the third quarter last week before giving up 24 unanswered points and losing 27-17.

6. USF (2-10)

Prediction: 4-8. Etc.: Picking them to go 4-8 seemed too lofty even back then. But the Bulls came one play away from upsetting UCF in Orlando, and that’s a wee bit of momentum to take into the offseason..

7. FIU (1-11)

Prediction: 6-6. Etc.: It was sad to see it end this way for Butch Davis. The one and only bright side: Maryland transfer Max Bortenschlager’s 2,935 passing yards is a new school record.

Sunday School

Tampa Bay (8-3) at Atlanta (5-6): A year or so ago, the Bucs’ midseason funk saw them lose three of four and fall to 7-5. This past Sunday, they were one Tom Brady/Leonard Fournette drive away from losing three of four and falling to 7-4. Clicking on eight cylinders might be coming, but they don’t seem to be there yet — Bucs 26, Falcons 20.

N.Y. Giants (4-7) at Miami (5-7): Deep into his third year as head coach, Brian Flores is 20-24 overall in Miami. Counting only games played after Halloween, he’s 16-7. The late-season hype is real — Dolphins 31, Giants 19.

Jacksonville (2-9) at L.A. Rams (7-4): Urban Meyer keeps saying the right things and crediting his players’ efforts. But wouldn’t you like to dive inside his head and see if he’s cursing Brian Kelly for not leaving Notre Dame one year earlier? — Rams 33, Jags 17.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Billy Napier is a great Gator hire (and why that sounds so familiar)