Former Gators HC Urban Meyer expresses disappointment with Billy Napier's team in 2024: "That's painful to watch"

Urban Meyer knows something about succeeding at one of the most high-pressure jobs in college football. During his five-year tenure as the Gators' coach, he won national championships in 2006 and 2008.

The Fox Sports analyst didn't appreciate how his former team began its latest season with a 41-17 blowout home loss to the Miami Hurricanes.

During a recent appearance on The Triple Option podcast, Meyer expressed his disappointment at how coach Billy Napier's team lost against the Hurricanes (31:24).

"I mean, I have a vested interest in Florida, that's painful to watch that," Urban Meyer said.

Napier's team allowed 529 yards against Miami. Meanwhile, Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward threw for 385 yards and three touchdowns during the beatdown at the Swamp.

Urban Meyer details the difficulty of being Florida coach

Urban Meyer was a hero in Gainesville, winning two national championships during his tenure. Yet, even he was forced to step down after an 8-5 record during the 2010 season for falling short of the standards he helped set.

During his appearance on the The Triple Option podcast, he also revealed the constant stress of coaching at Florida.

“Gainesville, it’s a tough, tough job,” Meyer said. “It’s a great job. It’s one of the top five jobs in the country. You’ve got everything you need. You’ve got a recruiting base that’s second to none and you’ve got a great stadium, you’ve got a great fanbase, you’ve got a great student body. You’ve got it all. But I’ll tell you what, Gainesville is a tough town to live in when you’re the coach at Florida. It really is.

“I love Gainesville, it was great. My wife really loved it,” he said. “But I just never really left the house because I just, it feels like it’s caving in on you. It’s a small town and there’s very strong opinions there. It’s a great place, but it’s a very tough place to be when you don’t end up on the right side of the win column.”

Napier didn't help himself with his "Rural Central Florida" comments, which irked CFB fans and made him a figure of further ridicule after the blowout against the Hurricanes. His hot seat in Gainseville is getting even hotter.