even after FloridaDue to bounce at the end of the season in 2024, Billy Napier needed a strong repeat performance, while navigating another brutal schedule, to secure his long-term future as Gators coach.
The loss comes after another slow start this season south florida, LSU And miamiNapier could not get himself out of the valley this time. He was fired from his job on Sunday in Gainesville with a final record of 22–23.
For the fifth time since Urban Meyer retired in December 2010, Florida is searching for a new head football coach. The job has its obvious advantages – proximity to recruits, fans and financial support as well as the ability to compete for national championships – but the coaching churn in Gainesville is undeniable. Mayer won big there but only for a relatively short period. Under the leadership of Charlie Pell and Galen Hall in the mid-1980s, Florida received three consecutive AP top-6 finishes. Otherwise, Steve Spurrier is the only coach to produce a consistent winner with the Gators.
Florida gave Napier the support he needed to grow the program, and gained a clear advantage in recruiting. Coaches who have faced the Gators over the past two seasons have repeatedly praised the talent on the roster. But things didn’t come together for long under Napier, as Florida didn’t make the 12-team College Football Playoff last season and wasn’t going to either this season.
Athletic director Scott Stricklin received a contract extension this summer and will select his third football coach. The question of how much power he actually has in the rent looms over the investigation. Florida hasn’t created a CFP yet, and really needs to get it right. There will be no shortage of interest for one of the top jobs on the market.
candidate , transfer , recruits
Five candidates for the job
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin: Arguably, he’s the closest thing to Spurrier in today’s college football – all without the championships: a flamboyant, overconfident coach whose gifts for playcalling and quarterback development are undeniable. The 50-year-old Kiffin has started winning more notable games in the SEC, beating Georgia, South Carolina and others last season. He is 27-6 since the start of the 2023 season. While his greatest accomplishments have come as an assistant coach (he won national titles as a coordinator at USC and Alabama), he led Florida Atlantic to Conference USA titles in 2017 and 2019, and knows the state and conference well. Kiffin has hinted that he may want to stay at Ole Miss for the long haul – or at least for a slightly longer period of time – but Florida would be foolish not to take his interest level seriously.
Missouri coach Elijah Drinkwitz: Kiffin should be Florida’s top target within the SEC, but Drinkwitz should also be closely considered. Like Spurrier, he is an offensive-minded coach who does well when behind the microphone and will bring a confident style of play to Gainesville. After a slow start at Columbia, the 42-year-old Drinkwitz led Missouri to a Cotton Bowl title and No. 8 seed in 2023 and has a 27-6 record since the start of the 2023 season. The Arkansas native could lead Missouri to its third consecutive winning season in SEC play. Drinkwitz likes Missouri, which has shown him a strong commitment over time, but if he wants to win a national championship, he may try going to a program like Florida.
SMU coach Rhett Lashley: After guiding the Mustangs to the CFP in his first season as an ACC member, Lashlee is one of the top coaching candidates out there. His next stop will probably take him to the SEC, where he coached twice with Gus Malzahn at Auburn and served as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator from 2013 to 2016. Lashlee, 42, will also bring experience from within the state of Florida, as he served as Miami’s offensive coordinator in 2020 and 2021. They have won 11 games in each of the last two seasons at SMU.
Washington coach Jed Fish: Few coaches have worked around the college and NFL map like Fisch, who at age 49 has worked for seven NFL teams and six college teams since the 2002 season. He sees Washington as a long-term play after reviving Arizona’s program with a 10-win season in 2023, but if any destination job existed for Fisch, it would be Florida, his alma mater. He spent time with Spurrier as a student assistant and a graduate assistant and has worked in the state as an offensive coordinator for Miami and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Washington certainly doesn’t want to lose another talented coach so soon, but if Fish has a big season, Florida may come calling. The Fish are 11-8 in Washington.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman: Every coaching search, especially for a prestigious job like Florida, needs a shoot-your-shot candidate or two. Freeman seems very happy at Notre Dame, which has rewarded him financially and will probably continue to do so this offseason, especially if he returns to the CFP. Notre Dame certainly doesn’t want to lose a second consecutive coach to an SEC team, but the 39-year-old Freeman is one of the hottest coaches on the market and will excite Florida with his on-field track record and his recruiting approach. The Dayton, Ohio native has spent his entire playing and coaching career in two states – Ohio and Indiana – and will have to adjust to life in the SEC. But he has been nationally recruited and has shown he can win consistently, especially during last season’s playoff round. Florida would be foolish not to at least gauge his interest. , adam ritenberg
Five important players to retain
cubby dj lagway: Could the next head coach keep Lagway in Gainesville? The second-year QB has been extremely loyal to Napier and invested in building the program with him. Maintaining the lagway will likely be a major priority for whoever takes the job. Lagway has struggled this season, ranking last among SEC starters in QBR (56.7) and 15th in yards per carry (6.82), and has battled injuries during his two seasons at Florida. He’ll likely still have a chance to become one of the highest-paid QBs in the country next year, no matter how his sophomore season goes.
If the Texas native wants to play closer to home, he will have options. Texas A&M tried hard to reverse Lagway’s recruitment at the last minute after Mike Elko took over in December 2023. His father, Derek Lagway, played at Baylor in the late 1990s. Lagway will be entering his junior season and draft-eligible next year, so putting himself in the best position for his development and the NFL — whether that’s with a new regime in Florida or elsewhere — will undoubtedly influence this decision.
RB Jadan Baugh: As a freshman, Baugh emerged as the Gators’ leading rusher with 916 rushing yards and eight TDs on 5.4 yards per carry. According to ESPN Research, entering Week 8, Baugh ranked third among all FBS backs in forced missed tackles (47), and more than 750 of his 1,284 career rushing yards have come after first contact. On Saturday, he rushed for a career-best 150 yards to help the Gators win over Mississippi State. Baugh will have two more seasons of eligibility and is expected to receive significant SEC and national interest.
LB miles graham: Graham moved into the starting lineup as a sophomore and led Florida with 40 tackles, 3.5 TFL and three pass breakups. The son of former Gators and NFL running back Ernest Graham came into the 2024 ESPN 300 as the fourth-ranked outside linebacker and proved he was ready to play with a productive season in a reserve role, earning SEC All-Freshman recognition. It would probably be hard to lure him away from Gainesville given his family ties, but he is a talented playmaker.
wr Vernell Brown III: A true freshman wideout, ESPN’s No. 41 overall recruit for 2025 immediately earned the starting role and has a team-high 32 catches for 463 yards through seven games. He’s the son and grandson of former Gators, so there’s a lot of loyalty there, but Brown will be of major interest. You can also add many more Gators wide receivers to this list dallas wilson, Eugene Wilson III And aidan mizelAll four would be seriously coveted if they explore the possibility of a transfer.
DT Caleb Banks: Banks turning down the NFL for another season with the Gators was a huge deal for Napier and his staff. He is one of the ESPN Top three defensive tackles A prospect for the 2026 draft and will almost certainly turn pro after this season, but Banks could come back for an additional season if he needs a medical redshirt. The 6-foot-5, 330-pound senior missed the first two games with a foot injury, suffered it again against LSU and is now expected to be out indefinitely. –Max Olson
three major recruitments
D.E jerelan mccoyNo. 9 in ESPN 300: McCoy committed to the Gators over LSU and Texas in June, and the five-star edge rusher remains the top-ranked member of Florida’s 2026 class. McCoy and his family have often spoken about their comfort with the Gators, emphasizing that their commitment is as tied to the program as it is to Napier and his staff, if not more. Florida’s midseason decision to move on from Napier will certainly test that resolve. McCoy spent a month committing to LSU earlier this year and the Tigers have continued their pursuit of him this fall, as have Ole Miss and Texas, among others.
cubby Will GriffinNo. 69 in ESPN 300: A Gainesville native whose family went to UF, Griffin is committed to the Gators through June 2024, and his recruitment has been effectively closed for more than a year. As things stand, there’s no suggestion Griffin will move on. But Napier’s departure at least opens the door for any QB-needy program to check out ESPN’s No. 6 pocket passer. If other specific commitments begin to stretch out from Florida’s class, it will be imperative for the Gators to figure out how to retain Griffin.
RB davian grossOverall 36 numbers: After an August commitment, Gross will represent the Gators’ highest-ranked running back signee calvin taylor In the 2013 cycle. Gross emerged late in the recruiting process at Florida and beat out finalists Baylor, Houston and Oklahoma to become ESPN’s No. 4 running back prospect. Those schools would likely be back with Groce, whose Gators pledge becomes especially big if fellow running back Florida carsin becker – Early fall flipped targets of Auburn, Florida State and South Carolina – reopens his recruiting and goes elsewhere. , eli lederman
