Will they, won't they, some 15 month saga about Florida The sacking of Billy Napier is finally over.
Despite a 23-21 win over Mississippi on Saturday, The Gators fired Napier on Sunday. as the team entered open week. Napier finished his tenure with a 22-23 record overall, the worst 20-game record of any Florida coach since 1950.
Napier leaves a talented roster behind in Gainesville – No. 12 in the 247Sports Team Talent Rankings – for whoever is next.
As for Napier's next steps, his prospects are much more uncertain.
Napier's immediate future is pretty good. Within 30 days of being fired, he owed 50% of his nearly $20 million buyout. Nothing like earning a nearly eight-figure salary ahead of the Christmas shopping season.
His long-term future? Let's see.
Napier will have coaching options; however, it seems more unlikely than no conversations with industry sources that teams will approach him as a head coach this cycle. He was given almost every resource in Florida to create, including an army of off-field employees and a hefty war chest of names, images and likenesses. However, Napier's best record of any season in Gainesville was 8-5.
There were some positives for Napier, including the work the program has done to rebuild the core of the roster with strong high school performances and grades. Napier is also widely considered a good person and is well-liked in Gainesville and the college coaching ranks. You could also argue that Florida's historically difficult schedule over the past two seasons hasn't done Napier any favors as its program has struggled to rise.
But Napier also had obvious problems.
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Industry insiders have criticized his reluctance to give up play-by-play duties and hire a full-time offensive coordinator. Florida wanted to make its way into the high school ranks, but that meant taking a more cautious approach to the transfer portal than most of its modern contenders. Add in game management issues and a slew of missed opportunities in winning games, and Napier has long since lost the trust of Florida fans.
In fairness, Napier's coaching acumen should be noted. Louisiana from 2018 to 2021 was incredibly successful.
He took over a program that had won a total of 15 games in the three years before he got the job. He went 7-7 in his first season and then posted a 34-5 record over the next three seasons.
Napier has demonstrated the ability to develop to Group of Five levels. It just didn't make it to the SEC.
Returning to the question of what happens next for Napier, he will have three options:
1. Try to find another head coaching job.
2. Get a job as a high-level coordinator or assistant in an energy program.
3. Take a year off or hang out as an analyst somewhere for a year to reset.
Will a Big 5 team be intrigued enough by Napier this year to give him a chance? Certainly. But that seems less likely in a year in which not many G-5 jobs are expected to open. Although, if such work Coastal Carolina comes up, it might tempt him.
Just look at what happened to Dan Mullen and Jim McElwain in their post-Florida lives.
McElwain spent a year as Michigan receivers coach before taking Central Michigan Job. Mullen took a few years off and worked as an analyst for ESPN before returning to coaching this offseason. UNLV.
It should be noted that his contract does not include any compensation or mitigation obligations. He can take the next few years off if he wants and is not required to look for another job to offset Florida's benefits. Napier has the advantage of time and choice.
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He also has a large friends tree. college football. Napier spent years in Clemson And Alabama as an assistant, and he wouldn't have a hard time finding a job this offseason if he wanted it. It's unclear whether Napier will want to coach the team next year. He may not even know about it for days or weeks until he can move on from his layoff and look at his time in Gainesville with more clarity.
However, if history is any indication, he will have another chance to become a head coach at some point.
Every Florida head coach since 1990 has had another job after being in Gainesville, and that doesn't mean Jimmy Sexton's client won't hurt his chances of landing a future coaching job.
Napier is only 46 years old. He still has a lot of time in coaching.
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