Reflective but clearly exhausted, Billy Napier took to the podium Saturday night after Florida’s 23-21 win against Mississippi State. It was their second-most impressive victory of the year, a sentence that would’ve drawn laughter if you’d said it back in August.
But here we are, in the middle of The Swamp, with fans clinching their seats tighter than their jaws, and the familiar “Fire Billy” chant echoing through the fourth quarter like a fight song no one really wants to sing anymore.
"I’m going to enjoy this one tonight,” Napier said.
Everyone in the room knew it was his curtain call. Florida’s new era was already being scripted behind the scenes.
The whispers had started earlier in the week that, win or lose, Florida was moving on. No upset of Texas, no late-season rally against Mississippi State could save him. Napier’s tenure was slow dancing in a burning room, and Florida’s brass was ready to strike a new match. Even before the embers cooled, the rumor mill lit up.
A report from On3 suggested that athletic director Scott Stricklin had been quietly vetting Lane Kiffin’s interest in Gainesville.
It’s almost too perfect, right?
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A few weeks ago, Kiffin sat down with David Pollack on his "See Ball, Get Ball" podcast and admitted that Steve Spurrier was one of his biggest influences—the man who inspired his signature visor look.
Imagine the headlines: “The New Head Ball Coach in The Swamp.” The SEC would eat it up. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey might even frame it and put it in his office. But headlines don’t win championships.
Kiffin has done an impressive job at Ole Miss, refining the program Hugh Freeze built and turning Oxford into a consistent top-10 threat. He’s an elite recruiter and a walking soundbite. But is he really leaving Oxford, a town he’s described as family after SEC Media Days and made him sound like he was planting roots?
If Kiffin stays put, Florida’s next move becomes a lot more interesting.
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Who's next up if Lane Kiffin isn't available?
You could trace the unraveling of Florida’s season back to Sept. 6 — the day the Gators, ranked and favored, stumbled out of the gate and never really recovered. By the end of that game, the chants had returned. “Fire Billy.” Same song, different verse.
And the next day, the conversation flipped to South Florida's Alex Golesh.
The rising head coach became the name everybody knew in a short period of time. The Bulls didn’t even beat Miami, but somehow moved up while Florida was flatlining.
Since then, Golesh has quietly turned USF into a 6-1 program on the outskirts of the College Football Playoff conversation, which is a line no one expected to type this year.
Meanwhile, Florida State’s early-season shine has dulled. This has led to questions about Mike Norvell’s long-term fit. Miami, on the other hand, just got upset again, right when it seemed like Mario Cristobal’s rebuild was turning the corner. The truth is simple that the throne of Florida football is wide open.
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The Case for Alex Golesh
Florida could quietly make an under-the-radar hire.
Golesh has spent three years in Tampa building relationships with high school coaches, players and families. The same ones Florida, Florida State and Miami used to own. He’s turned “the kids those programs didn’t want” into legit difference-makers. His USF team plays fast, physical and fearless. Hiring him would be a strategic chess move.
By bringing in Golesh, Florida would kneecap South Florida’s momentum while reclaiming in-state recruiting leverage. The Gators could absorb the pipeline he’s already built and neutralize a program that’s been slowly stealing their shine. He’s not the flashy, headline-grabbing hire like Kiffin. But maybe that’s exactly what Florida needs right now. Someone who builds rather than broadcasts.
Golesh has proven he can do more with less. Now imagine what he could do with the Gators’ resources.
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The Florida free-for-all
If Norvell does end up leaving Tallahassee, that’s two major programs hitting reset at the same time. It would be a golden window for Florida to reassert dominance in the Sunshine State. Golesh wouldn’t need to sell recruits on a vision; he could simply invite them to follow him north.
Financially, it’s smarter, too. Golesh comes at a fraction of Kiffin’s buyout and ego. Of course, the other names will swirl. Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman will get mentioned. James Franklin, too. But Franklin never quite landed the offensive firepower or SEC recruiting level needed to thrive in Gainesville.
Eli Drinkwitz might sound trendy, but how does his Missouri-style pipeline fit in Florida’s world?
At some point, you have to ask if Florida wants a headline or a foundation?
There will be no shortage of names from Jon Gruden to whatever rumor X dreams up next. But there might already be a hidden gem just down the road in Tampa. Golesh might not be the “Head Ball Coach” Florida fans dream about. But if you’re looking for the man who can build, not just brand, he might be exactly what The Swamp needs next.
Drinkwitz and Louisville’s Jeff Brohm are the next tier before Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham, Washington’s Jedd Fisch, Syracuse’s Fran Brown and Georgia Tech’s Brent Key.
Get ready because the fun is about to heat up in Gainesville.
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