By: Kenneth Harrison

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The Florida Gators won a close game against Mississippi State recently, 23-21.

They improved to 3-4 and are going went bye week before they play #5 Georgia on November 1^st.

They fired head coach Billy Napier after the win, which was somewhat surprising.

Firing Napier was inevitable, I’m just surprised it came after a win. The #13 Gators did lose to South Florida at home in Week 2. I thought he would get fired during the season after that unless Florida went on a winning streak.

They followed that up with road loses to #3 LSU and #4 Miami. They did upset #9 Texas at home on October 4^th. The next week they lost at #5 Texas A&M, 34-17.

Napier went 22-23 in four seasons at Florida, including 12-16 in SEC play. He was 5-17 against ranked opponents, including 0-14 away from home.

He is the play caller and he would not give that up, despite calls to do so. His record against rivals Georgia, Florida State, Miami, LSU and Tennessee is 3-12.

Napier is the first full-time coach at Florida to finish his tenure with a losing record since Raymond Wolf (1946 to ’49). He was hired in 2021 after going 40-12 in four seasons at Louisiana.

“Making this decision during the open date provides our team valuable time to regroup, refocus, and prepare for the challenges ahead. The timing also allows us to conduct a thoughtful, thorough, and well-informed search for our next head coach. We remain fully committed to utilizing every resource available to identify the right leader to guide Gators Football into the future,” athletic director Scott Stricklin said in a statement.

“I will conduct the search with a high degree of confidentiality to protect the privacy of those involved. The search will focus on the hiring of an elite football coach who will embody the standard we have at the University of Florida, and we will continue to provide all of the necessary resources for that coach, his staff and the players to be successful.”

Florida owes Napier roughly $21 million, with half of that buyout due within 30 days.

The rest will be spread over three annual installments beginning next summer, meaning that, since the Gators are still paying former coach Dan Mullen, they will be paying three head coaches for the second time in seven years once they hire Napier’s replacement. They did the same with Will Muschamp, Jim McElwain and Mullen in 2018.

Receivers coach Billy Gonzales was named interim head coach for Florida’s remaining five games. Georgia was already favored to win the annual Georgia/Florida game but I think they have a bigger advantage after this.

Florida is dealing with losing their head coach and trying to stay focused. They were not looking like a team that could get to six wins and a bowl game before Napier was fired. I doubt they will get better now.

“The standards and expectations for Gators football are to win championships — not simply to compete. We exist to win and will not settle for less. UF has never been more invested in the success of this football program — elite facilities, robust NIL opportunities and comprehensive support for our student athletes and staff — than we are today,” Strickland said.

Currently the Penn State and UCLA head coaching jobs are also open. I’m sure other high-profile positions will also come available later in the season. It will be interesting to see who UF hires as their next head ball coach.