GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida State fired coach Billy Napier on Sunday, a day after an error-riddled win against Mississippi State that included some head-scratching calls and the kind of offensive lull that characterized most of his four years with the Gators.
Athletic director Scott Stricklin made the decision after it looked like the Bulldogs were going to lose hard with a 23-21 win until defensive tackle Michai Boileau picked off a pass with 21 seconds left and the Bulldogs came within field goal range.
The game-clinching score gave the Swamps a boost, but the home crowd quickly turned on Napier, booing him as he sprinted from the field. Stricklin had seen enough and pulled the plug on a run that most of the Florida faithful thought would last longer than necessary.
“While his influence was positive, it ultimately did not translate into the level of success we expected on the field,” Stricklin said in a lengthy statement.
Napier went 22-23 in four seasons at Florida, including 12-16 in the Southeastern Conference. He was 5-17 against ranked opponents, including 0-14 on the road, and despite being asked to relinquish his play-calling role, he declined.
Equally egregious is that his 3-12 record against rivals Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami and Tennessee includes the fewest wins in such games by a Florida coach since the late 1930s.
Receivers coach Billy Gonzalez will serve as interim head coach for Florida’s remaining five games, starting with a game against rival Georgia (6-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) on Nov. 1 in Jacksonville. The Gators (3-4, 2-2) will have an off week to recover from the turmoil caused by a coaching change.
Getting rid of Napier will temporarily calm a disgruntled fan base, but the group won’t truly be satisfied until the Gators hire someone with a proven track record at college football’s highest level.
Mississippi State coach Lane Kiffin is expected to be at the top of the list, but Stricklin passed on him when he acquired Napier from Louisiana Lafayette in November 2021. Louisville’s Jeff Brohm, Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz and Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman also could be targets.
Florida State owes Napier about $21 million, half of which is due within 30 days. The remainder will be paid in three installments a year starting next summer. That means if the Gators hire Napier’s replacement, they will have to pay three head coaches for the second time in seven years. They did the same with Will Muschamp, Jim McElwain and Dan Mullen in 2018.
Napier sealed his fate against the Bulldogs. He dialed up a QB rollout on a third-and-one play with minutes left that led to a punt, giving Mississippi State a late chance. He also called a QB keeper on a third-and-seven play early in the game, fumbled the final possession before halftime, and was flagged for having 12 men on the field during a two-point try.
It was a fitting end for a coach who was often in trouble in the powerhouse SEC. Between repeated penalties, problems with game structure, mismanagement of time, and execution of a mediocre but predictable offensive plan, Napier hung on longer than many thought he deserved.
Just before the Gators won their final four games of 2024, Stricklin gave the coach a public vote of confidence. The Gators were hoping to carry that momentum into Napier’s fourth season, but it showed when quarterback DJ Lagway missed nearly eight months recovering from an injury.
Lagway mostly looked lost in the pocket as Florida struggled to move the ball. The two-time Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year, the man who made a name for himself in his last tenure by saying, “Scary money doesn’t make money,” suddenly seemed as scared to get the ball down the field as easily as freshman Ragway.
Most outsiders saw this outcome coming. Napier accomplished a lot while helping the program navigate name, image and likeness compensation and revenue distribution, but he couldn’t find much consistency on either side of the ball, stirring up assistants.
Despite a seemingly stronger roster, there is an argument that the Gators actually regressed under Napier from Game 1 (a last-minute interception to beat then No. 7 Utah in the Swamp) to Game 45 (a last-minute interception to beat Mississippi State in the Swamp).
Whoever succeeds Napier will inherit a sleeping giant. He’s a three-time national soccer champion who recently found himself in an equipment race and has enough booster support to be a factor in the SEC.
“We’re here to win and we’re not going to settle for anything less,” Stricklin said. “The university has never been more committed to the success of this football program than it is today.”
