So long, Billy Napier.
You were a good man. You treated people right, you represented the University of Florida with class, and you molded young men who loved and respected you. You ran a clean program. You built an infrastructure that could’ve lasted a decade. You made players better people.
You did everything right as the head football coach of the Florida Gators — everything but win.
And that, of course, is why you were mercifully and finally fired on Sunday.
Florida football isn’t about grade-point averages and leadership seminars. Gator fans don’t measure success by effort or infrastructure; they measure it by excitement, by swagger, by scoreboard.
And that’s why, if Florida is serious about reclaiming its place among the college football elite, there’s only one move athletic director Scott Stricklin can make to get Gator Nation off his back.
Yes, that Lane Kiffin — the cocky, quotable, offensive genius who’s turned Ole Miss into a scoring machine and a must-watch program. The one who can talk trash with Nick Saban, go viral before breakfast and offensively out-scheme most anybody in college football.
Florida doesn’t just need a winner; it needs a showman. A spark. A little chaos. It needs somebody who can walk into The Swamp and bring back the arrogance and attitude of Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer.
Kiffin is the only candidate whose hiring can immediately do that.
Napier wasn’t a bad hire in theory. He came from the Saban school of structure and process. He had a plan. He had patience. He talked about culture, alignment and long-term vision.
UF athletic director Scott Stricklin, upper left, poses with Billy Napier, upper middle, and his family during a press conference at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville on Dec. 5, 2021. Napier was introduced at the new head coach of the UF football team. Napier’s wife, Ali, is at upper right. The kids are, from left: Charlie, Sammy Nelson, and Annie.(Stephen M. Dowell/ Orlando Sentinel)
Billy Napier (facing camera) hugs UF athletic director Scott Stricklin during a press conference at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville on Dec. 5, 2021. Napier was introduced at the new head coach of the UF football team. (Stephen M. Dowell/ Orlando Sentinel)
Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin, left, poses with Billy Napier during a news conference at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the campus of the University of Florida on Dec. 5, 2021, in Gainesville, Florida, as Napier is introduced at the new head coach. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UF head football coach Billy Napier (middle) and players run onto the field during the University of Florida college football 2022 Orange & Blue Game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville on April 14, 2022. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Florida head football coach Billy Napier speaks to “Gator Boosters” at Full Sail University in Winter Park on April 27, 2022. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier coaches his players during the second half of their game against Miami Hurricanes at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville on Aug. 31, 2024. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)
University of Florida head football coach Billy Napier celebrates with his son, Charlie, 7, after winning the UCF at Florida college football game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville on Oct. 5, 2024. UF won the game 24-13. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
University of Florida head football coach Billy Napier, left, meets UCF head coach Gus Malzahn, right, at midfield after the UCF at Florida college football game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville on Oct. 5, 2024. UF won the game 24-13. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier coaches on the sidelines against the Tulane Green Wav in the Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Dec. 20, 2024. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)
Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier argues with officials during the Arkansas and University of Florida college football game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville on Nov. 4, 2023. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)
University of Florida head football coach Billy Napier speaks during an interview before a “Gators Caravan” event at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld on April 22, 2024. Also speaking at the event was Sean Kelley, voice of the Gators. The Gators Caravan is a revamped spring tour that brings the Swamp to areas across Gator Nation. Fans enjoyed a new format that included a live conversation with Napier and Kelley. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Florida head coach Billy Napier speaks to Gator fans during a Gators Caravan event on April 22, 2024, at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
University of Florida head football coach Billy Napier and athletic director Scott Stricken walk across the field as they arrive for the USF at UF college football game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville on Sept. 6, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Florida head coach Billy Napier, right, greets quarterback DJ Lagway (2) as he comes off the field during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Kentucky on Oct. 19, 2024, in Gainesville. (John Raoux/The Associated Press)
University of Florida quarterback Aidan Warner (16) throws as head coach Billy Napier watches during football practice at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville on Aug. 2, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Florida head coach Billy Napier yells before the start of the Long Island University at University of Florida college football game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville on Aug. 30, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Florida head coach Billy Napier celebrates in the bench area as the last seconds tick off the clock during the Long Island University at University of Florida college football game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville on Aug. 30, 2025. Florida won the game 55-0. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UF coach Billy Napier and his team are pictured before the USF at UF college football game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville on Sept. 6, 2025. USF won the game 18-16. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UF coach Billy Napier runs onto the field with his team for the USF at UF college football game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville on Sept. 6, 2025. USF won the game 18-16. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Florida quarterback DJ Lagway, right, talks with head coach Billy Napier, left, during a timeout of an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M on Oct. 11, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (Sam Craft/The Associated Press)
UF coach Billy Napier, left, argues with head linesman Ralph Green during the USF at UF college football game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville on Sept. 6, 2025. USF won the game 18-16. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UF coach Billy Napier is pictured before the start of the USF at UF college football game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville on Sept. 6, 2025. USF won the game 18-16. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
University of Florida coach Billy Napier signals during the University of South Florida at University of Florida college football game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida, on Sept. 6, 2025. USF won the game 18-16. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
University of Florida head football coach Billy Napier coaches quarterbacks DJ Lagway (2) and Tramell Jones Jr. (17) during practice on campus in Gainesville on Aug. 14, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Florida head coach Billy Napier watches play during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Mississippi State, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Head Coach Billy Napier of the Florida Gators arrives during Gator Walk before the start of a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Oct. 18, 2025 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
Head Coach Billy Napier of the Florida Gators reacts to a Mississippi State Bulldogs missed field goal during the first half of the game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on October 18, 2025 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
Head Coach Billy Napier of the Florida Gators talks with DJ Lagway #2 of the Florida Gators during the first half of the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Oct. 18, 2025 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
A Florida Gators fan wears a brown paper bag on their head that says “Fire Billy” in refrence to Head Coach Billy Napier of the Florida Gators (not pictured) during the second half of the game between the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Oct. 18, 2025 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
Head Coach Billy Napier of the Florida Gators reacts during the second half of the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Oct. 18, 2025 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
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UF athletic director Scott Stricklin, upper left, poses with Billy Napier, upper middle, and his family during a press conference at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville on Dec. 5, 2021. Napier was introduced at the new head coach of the UF football team. Napier’s wife, Ali, is at upper right. The kids are, from left: Charlie, Sammy Nelson, and Annie.(Stephen M. Dowell/ Orlando Sentinel)
But in the SEC, there’s no time for deliberate, patient, process-driven program-building. And, thus, 3 ½ years later, Napier leaves Gainesville as the losingest Gators coach since the leather-helmet days of the 1940s. There’s no other way of looking at it: His hiring was a disaster — financially, competitively and stylistically.
He had every resource imaginable — an army of support staff, a $51 million contract, and a $90 million facility that gleams like an Apple Store. Florida invested half a billion dollars into football infrastructure during his tenure.
And yet the product on the field never matched the hype. Napier’s Gators weren’t just losing; they were mundane. Predictable. Lifeless.
The ultimate sin in Florida football isn’t failure. It’s boredom.
That’s why Lane Kiffin is the antidote.
Kiffin isn’t safe. He isn’t easy. But he’s everything Florida football used to be — and everything it’s not right now.
He’s Steve Spurrier with Twitter. He scores points. He stirs things up. He makes college football fun.
And fun is what Florida football needs most.
When Spurrier was running up the score and cracking one-liners about “Free Shoes University,” Florida football was electric. When Meyer was winning national championships, Gainesville was the center of the college football universe.
Since then? Nothing but misfires and mediocrity. Muschamp, McElwain, Mullen, Napier — four coaches in 15 years, all with the same result. The Swamp, once a cathedral of college football, has become a mausoleum of misplaced optimism. Florida is the Nebraska of the SEC — a once-dominant program that is now irrelevant.
Kiffin would change that the moment he steps off the plane. He brings juice. He brings recruits. He brings points. He brings attention – and in 2025 college football, attention is currency.
He’s the only candidate who makes Florida instantly relevant again.
Of course, this all comes back to one man: AD Scott Stricklin.
Let’s give him his due. Stricklin has been a capable AD. He’s modernized UF’s facilities and hired national-championship basketball coach Todd Golden.
But let’s be blunt: at Florida, athletic directors are judged by football hires. And right now, Stricklin is 0-for-2.
He fired Mullen after one bad year and replaced him with Napier, giving him an unnecessarily lucrative seven-year, $51 million contract that was almost entirely guaranteed. As a result, Florida will pay Napier $21 million to not coach.
That’s Stricklin’s fault.
And now, as he sits on the brink of his third football hire, the pressure is nuclear. Because if this next one doesn’t work, Stricklin won’t get a fourth.
Which means he can’t afford to “find” the next big thing. He has to buy the sure thing.
But can Florida actually land Kiffin?
I hope so, but I have my doubts.
This isn’t the college football landscape of 20 years ago, when tradition trumped everything. Nowadays, money and NIL collectives talk louder than past trophies.
Look at Indiana, which just gave Curt Cignetti an eight-year extension and made him one of the highest paid coaches in college football ($11.6 million per year.) for winning 17 games in a year and a half. Texas Tech has a billionaire booster building entire rosters through NIL. Vanderbilt is ranked, for crying out loud, and beat Alabama last season and LSU on Saturday.
This isn’t your father’s college football anymore.
You don’t have to be a blue blood to win. You just have to be bold enough to adapt — and rich enough to pay for it.
Which raises a legitimate question: why would Kiffin leave Ole Miss, where he’s winning, wealthy and adored, to take over a Florida program that’s burned through coaches like kindling for 15 years?
Stricklin must convince him Florida is still Florida. That UF is still one of the best jobs in the country. That the recruiting base is still unmatched. That the Swamp, when it matters, still shakes like no other stadium in America. That Kiffin is the right provocateur to wake up Gator Nation.
If Stricklin doesn’t land Kiffin, the Gators will be rolling the dice again — maybe on Penn State’s recently fired James Franklin, maybe on USF’s rising coach Alex Golesh. Sold options, sure.
But the Gators don’t need solid anymore. They need spectacular.
They need to stop acting like a legacy program and start behaving like a hungry one. They need to remember who they are — and who they used to scare.
Because right now, Florida football doesn’t scare anyone. Not Georgia. Not LSU. Not even USF.
That’s why this hire matters more than any in a generation. The next coach won’t just need to rebuild the roster; he must resurrect what Florida football used to be.
Florida football was once a spectacle — full of fireworks, fury and fun.
Napier turned it into a spreadsheet.
Only one man can flip the script in an instant.
I can almost hear it now — the whistle blowing and the Lane Train barreling toward Gainesville.
Your mission is clear, Scott Stricklin.
Pick up the phone.
Go get Lane Kiffin.
Go hire the only coach who can take Florida football back to its past and into its future — in one glorious, audacious leap.
Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on social media @BianchiWrites and listen to my new radio show “Game On” every weekday from 3 to 6 p.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen
Originally Published: October 19, 2025 at 1:52 PM EDT