Cowbell Corner

Top Billy Napier Replacements: Florida vs. Mississippi State in 2025

Mississippi State visits the Swamp in 2025. Rich Cirminiello shares the best replacements for Florida's Billy Napier who's extremely unlikely to be coaching against the Bulldogs next fall.

Rich Cirminiello

Sep 14, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier looks on against the Texas A&M Aggies during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
Sep 14, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier looks on against the Texas A&M Aggies during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
In this story:

Billy Napier is a dead man walking, metaphorically speaking. He began this season, his third in Gainesville, on the hottest of hot seats after losing seven games in consecutive years. And he's done nothing but stoke the flames with lopsided home losses to Miami in the opener and Texas A&M this past Saturday.

Napier is finished, despite a buyout that rivals the GDP of a small nation. The bar is too high in Gainesville. The last three coaches Florida fired, Dan Mullen, Jim McElwain, and Will Muschamp, all had 10-win seasons on their resume, yet couldn't survive. Napier is light years away from winning double-digits, so it's just a matter of when the administration pulls the plug.

So, where does Florida go from here as it tries to bridge the gap to the Urban Meyer era, when national championship contention was assumed? The Gators have to think big and they have to keep DJ Lagway in mind. The franchise QB, who Napier signed, MUST be kept out of the portal or else this program sinks further into despair.

4. Jedd Fisch, Washington

Fisch attended Florida for the explicit purpose of learning from Steve Spurrier, and was later a GA on the Head Ball Coach's staff. That alone will make him very popular around Gainesville. More important, Fisch has had a very good coaching career, most recently reviving an Arizona that was on life support when he arrived in 2021.

3. Mark Stoops, Kentucky

Stoops has done the unimaginable in Lexington. He's made football relevant at a basketball school. In 12 years, he's built a great foundation at Kentucky, twice winning 10 games and finishing ranked. The Wildcats are outstanding on D and in the trenches, but Stoops' offenses have been stale which could make it harder to retain Lagway.

2. Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri

Drinkwitz is a riser in the coaching ranks and he's still only 41. He's a very popular program builder who has Mizzou in the national spotlight after needing three years to lay the groundwork. Drinkwitz, like all the coaches on this list, knows the SEC, and the relative ceiling he faces in Columbia would not be an issue in Gainesville.

1. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss

If there's a homerun hire out there for Florida, this is it. Kiffin checks all the boxes... offensive system to keep Lagway (and attract more like him), proven success at Ole Miss, and the recruiting chops to thrive in the portal era. When the Gators have been great, the offense has always been the driver. Kiffin in the Swamp is a perfect match as Florida looks to recapture its national relevance.

Mississippi State’s Tough Road to a Bowl Game: Why a Bid Is Still Within Reach

Published
Rich Cirminiello
RICH CIRMINIELLO

Home/Football