Brian Kelly Brings Up Ed Orgeron to Defend Billy Napier Amid Growing Criticism

The SEC never sleeps, and neither do the hot takes. Just days after Florida’s Billy Napier watched his team drop a jaw-dropping 18–16 home loss to South Florida, the same USF program that had never beaten the Gators before, fans, pundits, and Twitter warriors were already sharpening their knives. “Fire him,” they shouted. “What’s he even doing?” But LSU’s Brian Kelly isn’t playing that game. Nope. He’s standing firmly in Napier’s corner, and he’s not sugarcoating it.

Ahead of LSU’s Week 3 SEC opener against Florida, Kelly didn’t hesitate to call the critics “crazy.” “People talk about whatever they want. It’s crazy,” he told reporters on Monday. Kelly’s message was simple: Napier’s building something real—and it takes time. “Billy’s a really good football coach,” Kelly said. “He understands his team’s strengths and weaknesses. He’s building a culture that’s fit to his eye, doing it his way, and that’s awesome.”

. @LSUfootball head football coach Brian Kelly was asked about @GatorsFB head coach Billy Napier Monday and gave quite an answer. Kelly spoke about himself, Napier and even Ed Orgeron. Kelly hasn’t referenced Orgeron much since coming to #LSU, so that was certainly interesting. pic.twitter.com/mOCyw2Rfie

— Jacques Doucet (@JacquesDoucet) September 9, 2025

Kelly’s defense wasn’t just about being nice. It was personal. He brought up his own past, when he took over at LSU from none other than Ed Orgeron, the national champion-winning head coach. “It takes time to put in your philosophy and the way you like to do things,” Kelly explained. “Billy’s come in after two or three other head coaches that changed the way the other coaches did it. And now he’s starting to stabilize that program.”

That’s a subtle way of saying rebuilding isn’t neat, and it sure isn’t fast. Players need time to adjust, schemes need room to breathe, and culture isn’t something you can order off a menu. Let’s not pretend Florida’s situation looks good. After cruising past LIU with a 55–0 win to open the season, the Gators got smacked around by South Florida, missing opportunities and racking up 11 penalties for 103 yards. Their offense gained just 276 total yards, while USF piled up 355. It wasn’t pretty. It was downright embarrassing.

But Kelly’s message is clear: All great things take time. “It takes what it takes, and he’ll get that thing where he wants it,” Kelly said. “I think he’s got it right now. They beat us last year.” And let’s be honest. Kelly isn’t ignoring this week’s matchup. He remembers that sting from last season’s loss to Florida, and LSU’s players surely do too.

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