GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Florida fired coach Billy Napier on Sunday, firing him a day after a mistake-filled win against Mississippi State that included more head-scratching calls and offensive silences like those that have characterized much of his four-year run with the Gators. Athletic director Scott Stricklin made the move after a 23-21 victory that looked like it was going to be a blowout loss until defensive tackle Michai Boireau picked off a pass with 21 seconds left and the Bulldogs close. The match-sealing takeaway sparked the Marsh but the home crowd quickly turned to Napier and booed him as he ran off the field. Stricklin had seen enough and pulled the plug on a run that most of the Florida faithful thought was longer than it needed to be. “While his influence has been positive, ultimately it has not translated into the level of success we expect on the field,” Stricklin said in a lengthy statement. Napier went 22-23 in four seasons at Florida, including 12-16 in the Southeastern Conference. He was 5-17 against ranked opponents, including 0-14 away from home, and refused to relinquish his play-calling role despite calls to do so. Just as damning: His 3-12 mark against opponents Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami and Tennessee includes the fewest wins by a Florida coach in such games since the late 1930s. Receivers coach Billy Gonzales is the interim head coach for Florida’s remaining five games, beginning against rival Georgia (6-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) on Nov. 1 in Jacksonville. The Gators (3-4, 2-2) have an off week to regroup from the chaos that often accompanies a coaching change. Pushing Napier out will temporarily quell a frustrated fan base, but the group won’t be truly satisfied until the Gators hire someone with a proven track record at college football’s highest level. Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin is expected to be at the top of the list, although Stricklin passed him over when he hired Napier from Louisiana-Lafayette in November 2021. Louisville’s Jeff Brohm, Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz and Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman could also be targets. Florida owes Napier about $21 million, with half of that buyout due within 30 days. The rest will be spread over three annual installments starting next summer, meaning the Gators will pay three head coaches for the second time in seven years once they hire Napier’s replacement; they did the same with Will Muschamp, Jim McElwain and Dan Mullen in 2018. Napier sealed his fate against the Bulldogs. He recorded a QB layup in the waning minutes on a third-and-1 play that led to a punt and gave Mississippi State a chance. He also called a QB keeper on a third-and-7 earlier in the game, fumbled on the final possession before halftime and was flagged for having 12 men on the field during a 2-point try. It was a fitting end for a coach who was often in over his head in the powerhouse SEC. Between repeated penalties, game organization issues, faulty clock management and running an offensive scheme that was as predictable as pedestrian, Napier stuck around longer than many thought he deserved. Stricklin gave the coach a public vote of confidence shortly before the Gators won their final four games of 2024. They hoped to carry that momentum into Napier’s fourth season, but fullback DJ Lagway missed nearly eight months recovering from injury – and it showed. Lagway looked mostly lost in the pocket as Florida struggled to move the ball. Suddenly, the two-time Sun Belt Conference coach of the year, a guy who gained notoriety at his previous stop for saying “scared money don’t make money,” looked scared to get the ball downfield the way Lagway did with such ease as a freshman. Most outsiders saw this end coming. Although Napier accomplished much while helping the program navigate name, image and likeness compensation and revenue sharing, he scrambled through assistants while unable to find much consistency on either side of the ball. There’s an argument to be made that the Gators actually regressed from Game 1 (a last-minute interception to beat then-No. 7 Utah in the swamp) to Game 45 (a last-minute interception to beat Mississippi State in the swamp) under Napier despite a seemingly stronger roster. Whoever replaces Napier will inherit a sleeping giant, a three-time football national champion who recently caught up in the facilities race and has enough reinforcement support to be a factor in the SEC. “We exist to win and will not settle for less,” Stricklin said. “UF has never been more invested in the success of this football program … than we are today.” ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Register here and here (AP News mobile app). AP College Football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Florida fires coach Billy Napier after four-year run ends with 22-23 record
