Paul Finebaum reacts to Alabama legend Nick Saban's comments on Billy Napier amid Florida struggles

Paul Finebaum weighed in on former Alabama head coach Nick Saban’s remarks about Billy Napier, Florida Gators’ head coach. During The Matt Barrie Show, Finebaum discussed Week 4 of college football, starting with Saban's comments on Florida’s struggles.

According to Saban, the Gators have been leaning too much on their past success under Urban Meyer, without focusing on current development.

“I think maybe the problem isn’t the coaches,” Nick Saban said [H/t Athlon Sports]. “They’ve been through four coaches since Spurrier and Urban Meyer, who both created a tremendous culture of winning there.”

“Sometimes the fanbase can just think ‘Well we can show up and expect to win.’ And not make the commitment to the program that you need to make to be able to continue to make the changes and investments you need to make to keep up with changing times.”

Finebaum explained that his take on Florida’s decline stirred up some controversy, with a few Gator fans unhappy about his previous comments. He stood by his position, however, saying,

“It takes Nick Saban to confirm everything that’s already been said. Isn’t that the world we live in now?” [Timestamp - 1:15]

Host Barrie then turned the conversation to Dan Mullen, Florida’s former head coach. Mullen had reportedly previously recommended Lane Kiffin for the job, showing his continued involvement in coaching decisions even after being let go.

Finebaum also mentioned that, during a visit to Baton Rouge, people connected to the administration supposedly told him why they didn’t consider Napier for their head coaching job before hiring Brian Kelly.

“Because they did not have faith in his ability to make the right decisions staffing wise,” Finebaum said.

Though Napier gained credibility working under Saban at Alabama, Finebaum noted that Saban passed over him twice for the offensive coordinator role.

“A couple of columnists down there saying ‘you got to hire Billy Napier you know he's one of us’ and Napier wasn't equipped to handle that job and that's why I think he's been mostly a failure,” Finebaum said.

Finebaum’s take reinforces the idea that coaching decisions are often a matter of timing.

Billy Napier will look to regroup the Gators

Florida Gators coach Billy Napier took the reins as the 28th head football coach in December 2021, stepping in for Dan Mullen. After two seasons, Napier's record stands at 12–16, marking the lowest win percentage for a Gators coach since Raymond Wolf’s time in the late '40s.

This season, whispers about Napier’s future hit new heights after the team’s loss to Texas A&M, dropping them to 1-2 on Sept. 14.

However, the Gators bounced back by defeating Mississippi State, improving to 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the SEC.

With a bye week ahead, the team—and Napier—gets a chance to regroup and build on this momentum. Social media dubbed the matchup the "Dan Mullen Bowl," adding some extra buzz to the victory.

Florida face UCF at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Oct. 5.