Florida to stick with embattled Napier as coach
-
Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Writer
Billy Napier will continue to coach Florida, according to athletic director Scott Stricklin, who put to rest rampant speculation about the embattled coach’s future with the Gators.
In a letter Thursday, Stricklin stressed the need for a “disciplined, stable approach” and asked Florida fans to “continue standing behind Billy and his dedicated team while we work together to build a championship program.”
Napier, in his third season at Florida, is 15-18 with the Gators. After a 41-17 season-opening loss to Miami, he faced increased scrutiny over his job performance — scrutiny that mounted after a 33-20 loss to Texas A&M two weeks later.
Stricklin, however, has been unwavering in his support of Napier, who has repeatedly said he needs time to get the Gator program headed in the right direction.
Back-to-back wins over Mississippi State and UCF helped quell fan discontent, but performances in close losses to No. 7 Tennessee and No. 3 Georgia — Florida held leads in both games — showed progress.
“As we’ve seen these past several weeks, the young men on this team represent what it means to be a Gator,” Stricklin wrote. “Their resolve, effort and execution are evident in their performance and growth each week — building a foundation that promises greater success next season and beyond.”
Stricklin added that he is “confident that Billy will meet the challenges and opportunities ahead.”
The Gators are 4-4 overall this season, including 2-3 in SEC play. They visit No. 5 Texas on Saturday before closing their regular season home for LSU, home for Ole Miss and at rival Florida State.
Much of the progress Stricklin cites has to do with the way Florida’s freshmen and sophomores have played of late.
After veteran quarterback Graham Mertz was lost for the season against Tennessee, freshman DJ Lagway took over as the full-time starter and has played well — leading a 48-20 victory over Kentucky and giving the Gators the lead against Georgia until he left the game with a hamstring injury.
Lagway had been splitting time with Mertz, but his ability to make plays as a dual-threat quarterback has opened up the possibilities for the Florida offense. Lagway is considered questionable for Saturday’s game at Texas.
Freshman running back Jadan Baugh has impressed, too, with 323 yards and five touchdowns.
Sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel that 70% of Florida’s name, image and likeness money is tied to freshmen and sophomores, and there is a sense that losing Napier would also mean losing Lagway, who chose the Gators to play for Napier.
In an interview with ESPN earlier this season, Lagway’s high school coach, Trent Miller, said Napier “did a great job of getting DJ to commit early to help the process of building that brand with recruits and everybody else around him.”
The buyout for Napier alone would have been more than $26 million, which would have been the second biggest in college football history, behind Texas A&M’s $76 million for Jimbo Fisher last year.
Sources indicated the cost of transitioning from Napier and staff and buying out an incoming coach was estimated internally at $40 million.
There are other factors at play as well. Interim president Kent Fuchs, who returned after Ben Sasse stepped down, hired Napier and Stricklin and wants to see them succeed.
Sports
NHL trade grades: Report cards for the Trent Frederic swap, Seth Jones blockbuster, other major deals
-
Ryan S. Clark
-
Greg Wyshynski
The NHL trade deadline for the 2024-25 season is not until March 7, but teams have not waited until the last minute to make major moves.
For every significant trade that occurs during the season, you’ll find a grade for it here, the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks swapping goaltenders, Cam Fowler to the St. Louis Blues, Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken, the blockbuster deal sending Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes and Martin Necas to the Avalanche, J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks to the New York Rangers, and the Canucks staying busy and getting Marcus Pettersson from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
March 1 featured three big trades, with Ryan Lindgren headed to the Colorado Avalanche, the Minnesota Wild adding Gustav Nyquist, and Seth Jones joining the Florida Panthers.
Read on for grades from Ryan S. Clark and Greg Wyshynski, and check back the next time a big deal breaks.
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Boston Red Sox slugger Rafael Devers, who was expected to make his spring training debut Tuesday, has pushed it back after telling manager Alex Cora he did not feel ready while taking live batting practice.
Cora did not say when the three-time All-Star will play, but the manager suggested it might not be until this weekend.
Devers hit .272 with 28 homers and 83 RBIs last season despite complaining of soreness in both of his shoulders. He spent the first couple of weeks of spring training trying to strengthen them for the rigors of a 162-game regular season.
Exactly where Devers will play once he returns remains another question.
The Red Sox signed two-time All-Star Alex Bregman to a three-year, $120 million contract this offseason, giving them a Gold Glove winner at third base, where Devers has posted poor fielding metrics over the years. Devers has led the American League, or been tied for the lead, in errors three times in the past seven seasons.
Devers has balked at moving to DH, though, saying last month: “Third base is my position.”
Devers could remain at third base while Bregman moves to second, where he has played in just nine games over eight big league seasons.
“The decisions that are going to be made here about roster construction and about what we’re going to do in the future, we’re going to make sure we have the best team possible out there,” Cora said. “[Devers] has a lot of pride. We know that. He feels like he’s a third baseman. He’s going to work out as a third baseman and then we’ll make decisions accordingly.
“I think here it’s not about Bregman or Devers or Cora. It’s about the Red Sox.”
SURPRISE, Ariz. — Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia was scratched from the lineup Tuesday and will undergo an MRI on his left oblique, throwing into question his availability for Opening Day on March 27 against the Boston Red Sox.
It is the same oblique Garcia injured during the Rangers’ World Series run two years ago.
“He’s going to miss a little bit of time. We’re hoping not much,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy told reporters.
A two-time All-Star, García is trying to bounce back from a disappointing season in which he hit .224 with 24 homers and 85 RBIs in 154 games. He had six hits and two walks in 21 plate appearances so far this spring training.
García is the second Rangers outfielder to be sidelined by an oblique injury this spring training after Wyatt Langford went down Feb. 21.
Langford is still working his way back, but Bochy said it’s possible Langford could make his first exhibition appearance this week.
The 23-year-old Langford, the fourth overall pick in the 2023 amateur draft, made an instant impact for Texas last season, hitting .253 with 16 homers, 74 RBIs and 19 stolen bases in just 134 games.
The Rangers also have Evan Carter, Leody Taveras, Josh Smith and Kevin Pillar as outfield options.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports11 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway