Trevor Etienne, a running back, is arguably the most important of Florida’s many gateway losses this summer. However, Billy Napier’s opinion of him remains unchanged as a result of his decision to leave Gainesville.

During his news conference on National Signing Day this week, Napier discussed Etienne’s decision to transfer. At the very least, he stated that Etienne was a good asset to their program and squad, which is why he ultimately had nothing but praise for him.

“I believe Trevor has performed admirably for the Gators. I would say that,” Napier remarked.

Napier declared, “I have the utmost respect for Trevor because of his attitude, his practice habits, and his contribution to the team.” “Just respect,”

During his two seasons with Florida, Etienne made 24 appearances. He ran for 1,472 yards and 14 touchdowns on 249 carries over that period. In addition, he has caught 30 receptions for 238 yards and another touchdown.

In both seasons, Etienne has been the team’s second-leading rusher, trailing only Montrell Johnson Jr. With 118 carries for 719 yards and six touchdowns as a freshman, he was more than reliable. Then, with 753 yards and eight touchdowns on 131 rushes as a sophomore this past season, he improved all of those numbers.

Etienne made the decision to use the transfer portal a few days into December. According to On3’s Portal Rankings, he is the No. 1 RB and the eighth-best transfer overall, making him a highly sought-after commodity. In terms of transfers that are still accessible through the portal, he is ranked in the top five.

According to the most recent information, a rival program from the Southeastern Conference in Georgia is the clear favorite to win his services.

Given that Etienne is only now emerging as an upperclassman, nobody wants to lose a player of his ability. Nevertheless, they don’t alter Napier’s perception of him, regardless of the situation.

“We hope he has a bright future,” Napier remarked.

Graham Mertz is described by Napier as a “big piece” for Florida.

Based on his performance as Florida’s starting quarterback, Graham Mertz had a successful first season in Gainesville. He is scheduled to return in the fall, though, so he might even have a bigger impact on the Gators’ performance the following season than he did this one.

Billy Napier, who appeared on the SEC Network on Wednesday, discussed Mertz’s importance to their program in 2024. Putting quality metrics aside, he emphasized how Mertz’s leadership was evident throughout the year in their building. Next season, when Florida faces an extremely challenging schedule, that status should only matter even more.

In addition to his on-field performance, Graham is a crucial component of the team’s leadership. He competed for the position last spring. “This guy proved himself on the field as a competitor, but he was probably a little more reserved in that regard,” Napier said. He truly established a benchmark for how to operate. Very intelligent and professional attitude. “I believe he won our team over,” Napier remarked. “His return is significant as we enter what is undoubtedly a difficult league.”

“Graham Mertz? He will undoubtedly lead and be at the forefront of our plans for the upcoming year,” Napier stated.

Pete Thamel says the Florida coach’s situation with the Gators is “in flux” following the Billy Napier buyout.

Billy Napier, the head coach of the Florida Gators, was already in hot water heading into the 2024 season. Even after guiding the Gators to a 4-3 record, his future remains uncertain.

On the College GameDay Podcast, ESPN insider Peter Thamel clarified that Napier’s status with the team is still up in the air. He also discussed Napier’s buyout with Florida and offered some explanations for why that would be the case.

Pete Thamel stated, “I would still think Billy Napier’s future is in flux.” “Beating Tennessee would have been a huge benefit to him. I am a big fan of Billy Napier. They seem to be in agreement, and DJ Lagway is at least a ray of optimism. An intriguing image of DJ and Billy standing on the field during the Kentucky game was sent by Lagway’s father, whom I follow on Twitter. It has been a long time since Florida has run someone out of the building in an SEC game like that.

Napier has guided the Gators to a 15–17 record in his third season at Florida. However, there have been indications of progress in 2024, such as DJ Lagway, a rookie quarterback. However, Napier lost out on a potentially significant victory due to Tennessee, and the schedule becomes much more difficult going ahead.

“I think that Florida has a group that is reasonably skilled overall. Look, that last stretch is just that—the last stretch. It cannot be expressed in any other way. The final stretch lasted five games. Now that Billy Napier has a route, the game in Tallahassee doesn’t seem so daunting. The buyout amount, in my opinion, is around $26 million. That isn’t negligible, therefore.

The expense of terminating Billy Napier is another significant worry for Florida. It’s far over $20 million for his buyout. Not to mention the cost of firing the team’s assistants and probably hiring a new head coach. Furthermore, this occurs at a time when it appears that athletic departments will soon face difficulties with revenue sharing.

Another major issue is that when these schools make decisions, whether they are in the SEC, AAC, or Conference USA, they need to figure out how to pay a $20 million revenue-sharing budget in the SEC in addition to paying X as a buyout amount. The amount of money available to these institutions is simply limited, and finding a line item for an additional $20 million is—again, the money is there and no one is playing fiddle, but it’s still around $20 million more,” Thamel stated.

“Florida will figure out the money, and everything will work out.” You have some assistants on that staff, so it’s kind of a cognitive exercise: “Okay, do we take $26 million and spend it on good players as opposed to spending it on dead weight coaches?” Staff buyouts can cost an extra $10 million. The way the contracts are drafted, Florida, doesn’t completely poison the employees. At the end of the day, these are still millions of dollars; they simply can’t be summoned instantly.

Billy Napier and Florida will currently play the Georgia Bulldogs, whom they will face following a week off.