The Florida Gators finished last season on a high note after a sluggish start. Head coach Billy Napier seemingly saved his job by getting hot at the end of the year. However, that didn’t ease his hot seat or quell speculation about him being replaced.
“While college football programs don’t fire head coaches as fast as they do in the NFL, they aren’t far off. It seems like four years is the amount of time major schools give a coach to turn their football teams into playoff contenders. That means the pressure will be on Florida Gators coach Billy Napier in 2025. If he can’t take another step forward this year, the idea of replacing him with Nick Saban could be an idea too good for Florida decision-makers to turn down,” Sportsnaut’s Jason Burgos wrote.
Napier and the Gators were recently upset by USF, a loss that has already reignited talks about Napier’s job security.
“That loss immediately sparked an angry reaction from the Florida fan base, with many wondering what the cost would be to get rid of Napier. The Florida coach's buyout is 85% of his current remaining contract, which would be $19.38 million after this season,” CBS Sports’ Robby Kalland wrote.
Florida already faces one of the most difficult schedules in the NCAA, so the road ahead isn’t clear for Napier. If something doesn’t change quickly, he may not last through the rest of the season. Fox Sports’ Aaron Torres already feels as if Napier’s fate is sealed.
“Given what was at stake coming into the season and given what the rest of the schedule looks like, it doesn't feel like hyperbole to say that lost just cost Billy Napier his job,” Torres posted.
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USF isn’t a slouch—they’re a team that could make the College Football Playoff this season—but Florida had to win that game at home. The next four weeks on Florida’s schedule are brutal, with three away games. However, it seems Napier isn’t even playing for his job anymore; the schedule has already taken it away from him.