GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida Athletic Director Scott Stricklin said Monday that he fired coach Billy Napier on Sunday because he felt now was the time in the best interests of the program long term.
He said he is launching a nationwide search to hire a new coach who can win a national championship. Stricklin said he would make the hire and be solely responsible but that he would hire TurnkeyZRG to be a partner in the search process. He said he will take suggestions from others, including the trustees and Turnkey.
What You Need To Know
- Florida Athletic Director Scott Stricklin said Monday he will conduct an extensive search for a new football coach
- Stricklin fired Billy Napier on Sunday after the Gators’ 3-4 start
- He said he is looking for a coach who can win a national championship
- Among the coaches whose names have been linked as possible replacements are Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, former Penn State coach James Franklin and USF coach Alex Golesh
“We will have a wide variety of candidates,” Stricklin said, despite reports naming some possible successors. “We want people who can win national championships.”
Some coaches whose names have been linked to the job in media reports are Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, former Penn State coach James Franklin, who was just fired by Penn State; Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman and USF coach Alex Golesh, whose 18th-ranked Bulls are 6-1 this season with a victory against Florida. Golesh also is a former UCF co-offensive coordinator.
In the interim, receivers coach Billy Gonzales will take over as coach for Florida’s remaining five games, beginning against rival Georgia (6-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) on Nov. 1 in Jacksonville. The Gators (3-4, 2-2) have a bye week to regroup from the chaos that often comes with a coaching change.
He has worked on the Gators staff for 12 years with three different coaches.
“Florida is a special place to me,” Gonzales said. “I take this new role to heart. It’s important to me.”
Gonzales said Napier’s coaching staff will be kept in place and quarterbacks coach Ryan O’Hara will call plays. He said running the offense will be a collaborative process but that offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Russ Calloway will organize it.
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 the Gators 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 Dan Mullen in 2018. The football program will honor the contract as written, Stricklin said.
Stricklin said the financial hit “is not insignificant” but that resources won’t be a factor in who Florida hires.
“We have a little more time to make a hire and be very thorough,” he said.
Stricklin said Florida has a “standard of excellence of winning that we have to perpetuate. …We’re here to win championships.”
He warned that the process of replacing Napier will be tricky, though, pointing out that only three current college coaches have won national championships, so it’s likely whoever Florida hires will not previously have won one.
But he added that Florida has never invested more in its football program’s infrastructure, facilities and name, image and likeness expenditures than it has of late.
Stricklin announced Sunday that Napier was fired after going 22-23 in four seasons at Florida, including 12-16 in Southeastern Conference play. The firing came despite a 23-21 victory that looked like it was going to be gut-wrenching loss until defensive tackle Michai Boireau picked off a pass with 21 seconds remaining and the Bulldogs near field-goal range.
“We’re all sad and disappointed that it didn’t work out,” Stricklin said.
Napier took his dismissal “as graciously as you would expect,” Stricklin said. “…None of us will find a finer individual. His integrity, his character, the investment that he has made in this program.”
The Gators program is in a lot better place than when Napier took it over, Stricklin said.
“This place is important to him,” Stricklin said.
Gonzales said he is hoping for a smooth transition, and Napier has left the Gators with “an arsenal of plays within the system.” He said he has full trust in the staff and players to finish the season strong. He said he wants to put the players in advantageous position to perform at their best.
Stricklin met with the team after he fired Napier and said that although the situation is difficult, he expects a strong finish.
“I believe we have the talent to compete with anyone left on our schedule,” Stricklin said. “…The University of Florida matters to this group. ….Winning is important to this group.”
He said the staff, boosters and fans, “owe it to them to do everything we can to support them the rest of this season.”
Speculation about Napier’s future mounted as the season went along, facing multiple ranked teams. He is the third consecutive coach to be fired by Florida in the middle of a season but the fourth Gators coach to be fired since the Urban Meyer era.
The University of Florida draws student-athletes from all over the state, including Central Florida. According to one Lake Nona parent whose son plays for the football team, the players were notified on Sunday that there would be a meeting Sunday, and that’s when Charles Emanuel said he could almost guess what it was pertaining to.
Though many fans and some leaders with the program seem to be unhappy with the wins and losses over the years, Emanuel said he likes the work Napier has done with the team, and that he’s thinking of him and his family during this time, not just the season.
“I thought Billy’s done a really good job with this team,” he said. “My wife and I we’ve enjoyed the fact that our son has been there, and he’s treated our son well. I think he treats his players well, and I think all the players will tell you he’s a players’ coach,” Emanuel said.
Spectrum News 13’s Brandon Green and Jaclyn Harold contributed to this report.