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As the calendar page turns to November and the weather around the country begins to cool, it's officially the time of the year where the seats of many head coaches around the nation begin to get hotter. It was widely assumed, really since the beginning of the 2024 season, that Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier could be one of those coaches who would quickly find themselves on the hot seat. But surprisingly, earlier this week, Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin took a fire extinguisher to that seat.
“I am confident that Billy will meet the challenges and opportunities ahead,” Stricklin said in a statement on X. “I call on all of Gator Nation to continue standing behind Billy and his dedicated team while we work to continue to build a championship program.”
Now for as much confidence as Stricklin, the UF athletic department and all of Gator Nation may have in Billy Napier, we can't ignore the fact that there is a crucial financial element to this decision as well, especially since Napier's track record in Gainesville — a 15-18 record and a loss in the Las Vegas Bowl — doesn't scream success. Napier does however have a contract buyout that screams, “Show me the money!”
“If you have to spend major money ($26 million) to get rid of Napier with no obvious guaranteed options to replace him and a $20 million annual revenue share charge looming over the future, it becomes easier to talk yourself into keeping him for another year,” writes Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports.
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One would assume that Florida would take a longer, harder look at replacing Napier if there wasn't that hefty price tag attached to the move. Also, as Zenitz points out, there may not be an obvious successor looming. Though, an Ole Miss loss to Georgia this Saturday could potentially open up Lane Kiffin as a candidate.
The good news for Florida is that freshman quarterback DJ Lagway is apparently on-board with the decision to retain Napier. Lagway was one of the top recruits in the country last cycle, and represents the future of the Florida Gators football program. Keeping him happy, and in Gainesville, should be objective number one.
“They clearly have their quarterback of the future in DJ and some other really strong building blocks as underclassmen,” an industry source told CBS Sports. “You don't want to do anything to disrupt what they've done on the player personnel side.”
