It’s not often that a head coach gets fired after a win, but that’s exactly what happened to Billy Napier at Florida in Week 8. After pulling out a 23-21 victory over Mississippi State in SEC play, the four-year head coach was fired roughly 24 hours later.
This had apparently been a long time coming for Napier, who struggled to produce consecutive winning seasons in Gainesville. Sitting at 3-4 on the 2025 season, things already looked grim to even match last year’s success. According to a source who spoke with On3’s Pete Nakos, “Florida has been vetting candidates for a year and a half.”
Napier was firmly on the hot seat going into 2024 after finishing the previous two years 11-14. Then came his so-called miracle 8-5 season that temporarily saved his job — though maybe much to the frustration of the Gators’ boosters.
Now, athletic director Scott Stricklin and Florida’s leadership are in full-on search mode for their next head coach. Their latest move signals they’re taking this one very seriously.
Florida Hires Same Search Committee That Texas, Alabama Used
Nearly two decades removed from their last national championship, Florida is finally acting like a program desperate to get back to the top. The only problem? Urban Meyer — or anyone like him — isn’t walking through that door. But whether it’s Meyer or the next Steve Spurrier, that’s always been the bar in Gainesville.
Since Meyer left after the 2010 season, the Gators have posted just five top-25 finishes, with only two in the top 10 under current UNLV coach Dan Mullen. That’s simply unacceptable for a school that expects to compete for national titles.
So, in an effort to right the ship, Florida hired the same search firm that helped Texas land Steve Sarkisian and Alabama secure Kalen DeBoer.
“Florida has brought on TurnkeyZRG to help lead the search to hire Napier’s replacement,” Nakos reported. “Past searches TurnkeyZRG has led include bringing Steve Sarkisian to Texas and Kalen DeBoer to Alabama. Along with Stricklin and TurnkeyZRG, Florida booster Gary Condron — the largest single financial donor in Gator Boosters history — will also have a say.”
Neither Sarkisian nor DeBoer has won a national title — yet. But both have delivered results quickly. Sarkisian has led Texas to back-to-back College Football Playoff semifinal appearances, while DeBoer has Alabama sitting at No. 4 in just his second season.
Steve Spurrier Has His Picks for Florida’s Next Coach
When Steve Spurrier talks, Florida listens. The program’s first Heisman Trophy winner and national championship coach has earned that much. And in the minds of many Gators fans, there’s already a clear front-runner to replace Napier: Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin.
When Spurrier was asked by USA Today’s Blake Toppmeyer about Kiffin potentially being Florida’s next head coach, he didn’t hesitate.
“I firmly think he is a very good coach,” Spurrier said. “There’s no question about that. I like him.”
Spurrier also mentioned Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, calling both Kiffin and Drinkwitz “proven winners.”
While that’s true, neither has captured a national championship — something that’s always been the standard at Florida. The question now becomes whether Stricklin and TurnkeyZRG are chasing a proven SEC winner or an established national title coach.
Because if it’s the latter, that’s a very short list. And maybe, just maybe, there’s only one realistic name who fits that description.
Gulp.
Clemson’s Dabo Swinney.
Swinney’s Tigers are sitting at 3-4, and if the slide continues, there’s a growing sense that maybe both sides could use a change. For Florida, that would be, let’s say… interesting hire. For Swinney, it might be the fresh start he never knew he needed.
Florida Gators Copy Alabama, Texas Blueprint In Search For Next Head Coach