GAINESVILLE – Florida coach Billy Napier gets a fourth season to try to get the Gators back on track.

Athletic director Scott Stricklin announced Thursday in a “Letter to Gator Nation” that the team is “building a foundation that promises greater success next season and beyond.”

The Gators (4-4, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) have made significant progress since lopsided losses to Miami and Texas A&M in the first month of the season. Napier bolstered the team's shaky defense, found a potential star in freshman quarterback DJ Lagway and nurtured young talent on both sides of the ball.

It's the kind of progress that made the decision relatively easy for Stricklin, despite Napier's 15-18 mark in Gainesville before Saturday's game at No. 5 Texas.

“UF’s commitment to excellence and a championship-caliber program is unwavering,” Stricklin wrote. “In these times of change in collegiate athletics, we are committed to a disciplined, robust approach focused on long-term, sustainable success for Gator athletes, recruits and fans.”

“I am confident that Billy will meet the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.”

The Gators went head-to-head with then-No. 8 Tennessee last month in Knoxville and again with second-ranked Georgia last week in Jacksonville.

Florida lost 23-17 to the Volunteers in overtime after wasting several chances for a stunning goal. And there are many who believe that the Gators would have won the “World's Greatest Outdoor Cocktail Party” if Lagway hadn't strained his Achilles tendon while leading 10-3 in the second quarter.

“Before the season started, no one expected us to be anything,” running back Ja'Kobi Jackson said Wednesday. “But we’re proving to people every day that we can play in the SEC, that we’re capable of beating teams.”

Nobody expected this in September. And it seemed like Napier wouldn't even finish the season.

Florida was inept on both ends in a 41-17 loss to rival Miami to open the season and showed no improvement in a 33-20 loss to Texas A&M two weeks later. Under first-year coach Mike Elko, the Aggies ran for 310 yards, got three touchdowns from a freshman quarterback making his first collegiate start and ended a 10-game road streak.

But Napier's popularity began to change when he earned a commanding win at Mississippi State and then took a week-long bye that resulted in a series of ultra-competitive drills – on-field work that players consider the key to success .

While some wondered if the Gators were starting to give up or fold, they stood up for Napier.

“Everything Coach Napier says is accepted by everyone,” Jackson said. “At the end of the day, we play for each other. We play for whoever is in this building.”

Florida would owe Napier around $26 million if it released him in 2024. His buyout drops to around $19 million in 2025, although that number would be significantly higher with his legion of assistants and behind-the-scenes help.

Even if Napier remains in office, he will likely still open next year in the proverbial hot seat. And for good reason.

Florida is 2-12 against ranked teams and 1-10 against rivals Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami and Tennessee. And Napier's errors in the game continue to increase (see Tennessee), albeit at a much slower pace.

Still, the growth outweighs the growing pains. And with November being a big recruiting month, Florida officials decided to give Napier a vote of confidence, especially considering his team was so banged up. The Gators could lose their top two quarterbacks, including Lagway, their top two running backs, two of their top four receivers and four cornerbacks when they take the field in Austin.