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In what may be the most surprising news of the day, the University of Florida has decided to retain head football coach Billy Napier. The third-year coach will officially enter the 2025 season as the Gators’ head coach, according to the university’s athletic director, Scott Stricklin.
The announcement comes at an unusual time, with Florida currently sitting at 4-4 with four games remaining, including this week’s challenging matchup against No. 5 Texas in Austin.
Napier and the Gators began this season with Stricklin’s assurance that Napier was the right choice to lead the program.
“He’s going to bring this program to the level that all Gators want it to be at, which is competing for championships, playing in meaningful postseason games, and once he gets it there, it’s going to stay there,” Stricklin said on The Paul Finebaum Show in late August. “I see the steps he’s taking, the caliber of young people he’s brought in; he’s improved the roster and the overall structure of the team.
“I think we’ve been patient as a university. I believe that patience will be rewarded. I really believe that Billy Napier is going to be the head coach at Florida for a long, long time.”
Stricklin reaffirmed that stance on Tuesday in a letter to Gator Nation, opening with, “I wanted to let you know that Billy Napier will continue as head football coach of the Florida Gators.”
Stricklin went on to say that the team’s “resolve, effort, and execution are evident in their performance and growth each week – building a foundation that promises greater success next season and beyond.”
Though the decision is sure to be met with scrutiny from Florida fans, it may be the best move for the program right now. At the very least, it might be the only realistic move available at the moment.
Scott Stricklin doesn't want to risk another rash decision by firing Billy Napier
When Stricklin arrived in November 2016, he parted ways with then-head coach Jim McElwain within a year. He then hired Dan Mullen from Mississippi State, who went on to have two double-digit win seasons in his first two years, but Stricklin fired him abruptly in Year 4 after finishing 5-6.
Some saw Stricklin’s move as rash, but he may have been feeling the heat from a fan base that demands competitiveness and a challenge for national titles, something the Gators haven’t achieved since 2008 under Urban Meyer.
Stricklin is now either proving he won’t let a vocal fan base dictate his decisions or making one final stand before he and Napier face dismissal in Gainesville after next season.
In hindsight, firing Mullen might seem like a poor decision to Florida fans, especially considering that Napier is now 15-18 with only one winning season (barely) under his belt. But the pressure on Stricklin to make that choice ultimately came from the expectations of the fan base.
For Florida fans, once they sense regression from a double-digit win season—which has happened with every coach post-Meyer—there’s often no going back. With Napier, there’s never even been a hint of a double-digit win season.
The question remains: Is that on Napier or the program as a whole? Stricklin, for better or worse, believes that returning Florida football to its former glory is a long-term process. How long that timeline will be, and whether it will reach its intended destination, is still unknown.
Florida has overachieved this season under Billy Napier
Napier entered the hot seat this season not just because his team regressed by one game from the previous year and missed a bowl game for the first time since 2017, but because of what lay ahead in 2024: a grueling schedule widely regarded as the toughest in the country by College Football Network. The Gators were given a projected win total of just 4.3.
That schedule included a now-No. 4 Miami, No. 14 Texas A&M, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 3 Georgia, No. 5 Texas, No. 15 LSU, and No. 16 Ole Miss—all current College Football Playoff rankings. Florida State also began the 2024 season in the AP Top 10, though that has since drastically changed.
Eight games in to that daunting schedule, the Gators are sitting at .500. While Miami and Texas A&M were blowouts early in the season, Florida held its own against Tennessee and Georgia, even though both games were away from The Swamp.
After their 41-17 loss to Miami, some speculated that Florida might not win more than two games all season. The fact they’ve managed to reach four wins, particularly with their starting quarterback sidelined twice this season, speaks volumes. Against Texas, freshman DJ Lagway remains questionable after suffering an injury against Georgia last week.
So, yes, Napier deserves a lot of credit for keeping this Florida team together and fighting during this tough period. With expectations of his dismissal after any given loss, it’s impressive that all parties have stayed the course and done the job they have.
College Football Playoff creates uncertainty for hiring new head coaches
Florida may be wary of becoming the first major program to pursue a new head coach during this evolving era of college football. This year serves as a trial period for all teams—not just those making the playoff but also those looking to rebuild with new coaching staff.
With the current playoff structure, hiring a new head coach could pose challenges. Consider the recruiting timelines overlapping with potential playoff games in December and January, not to mention the time needed to establish a new staff—there’s currently no precedent for navigating this.
If Napier were fired, who would be the go-to hire? Lane Kiffin is the typical choice mentioned, but as of this weekend, the Rebels remain in the playoff hunt. While that could change with a loss to Georgia in Week 1, if Kiffin and Ole Miss were to become playoff eligible, he’s unlikely to leave for another job, and the same goes for any coach whose team makes the playoff.
Ultimately, this year is trial and error not only for the winners but for the losers. Florida is erring on the side of caution, hoping to avoid further missteps. That's why Napier will be back in 2025 to lead the Gators.
