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Tag: billy napier

  • Florida or LSU? Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin’s coaching decision will be revealed after the Egg Bowl

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    OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin will announce his next move — likely Florida or LSU — after the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State.

    Athletic director Keith Carter released a statement Friday saying a decision on Kiffin’s future is expected Nov. 29, the day after the fifth-ranked Rebels play their in-state rival.

    It could be an agonizing wait for the Tigers, the Gators and the Rebels, although most outsiders believe Kiffin staying in Oxford for a seventh season is a long shot.

    “Coach Kiffin and I have had many pointed and positive conversations regarding his future at Ole Miss, including meeting (Friday) with Chancellor (Glenn) Boyce,” Carter said. “While we discuss next steps, we know we cannot lose sight of what is most important — our … team is poised to finish the regular season in historic fashion.”

    Carter said Kiffin remains focused, and the announcement timeline ensures the Rebels’ players and coaches “can concentrate fully on next Friday’s game.”

    “This team is on the cusp of an unprecedented season, and it’s imperative they feel the support of the Ole Miss family in the week ahead,” he said.

    Behind Kiffin’s next landing spot, the second-biggest question is whether Kiffin would stick around — or be allowed to stay — to coach Ole Miss through a potential College Football Playoff berth.

    The Rebels’ current standing in the CFP rankings has them poised to host a first-round game if they beat the Bulldogs. The selection committee, however, would be working within its guidelines if it factored the disruption of a coaching change into a team’s final seeding.

    Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1 Southeastern Conference, No. 6 CFP) does not play this weekend. The bye allowed Kiffin to meet with Florida and LSU officials.

    The Gators fired Billy Napier in mid-October and set their sights on Kiffin. LSU fired Brian Kelly a week later, creating a tug-of-war over a 50-year-old coach who is considered one of the top offensive minds in the game.

    Kiffin’s family members took scouting trips to Gainesville and Baton Rouge, and he met with administrators and fundraisers on several occasions. He even reportedly sat down with Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, who publicly slammed former LSU athletic director Scott Woodward for giving Kelly a 10-year contract worth about $100 million in 2022.

    Will he stay at the place he called “utopia” and turned into a perennial winner with his ex-wife and kids nearby? Will he move back to Florida, where his father became one of the most respected defensive coordinators in NFL history? Or will he land at LSU, where three of its last four coaches won national championships.

    Kiffin politely declined to talk about job openings this week. He sidestepped several questions about ongoing overtures from Florida, LSU and Ole Miss.

    “I’m going to stay on what I’ve done for six years, which isn’t talking about other jobs and that situation,” said Kiffin, who denied reports Tuesday that Ole Miss had given him an ultimatum. “I love it here, and it’s been amazing. And we’re in the season — the greatest run in the history of Ole Miss at this point (and) having never been at this point.

    “So I think it’s really exciting. … I’m just living in the moment — it’s amazing — and our players are, too. I see their joy about practice, season, where they’re at and have so much on the line. It’s just awesome to be a part of.”

    ___

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  • UF Gators head coach Billy Napier fired

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    Editor’s Note: UF athletic director, interim head football coach to hold news conference at noon on Monday. Watch live in the player above. Original story: Billy Napier preached patience when he was hired in Gainesville. Less than four full seasons later, with a record of 22-23, he’s out of a job. Napier managed just one winning season in four tries at Florida, an 8-5 campaign in 2024. After a 3-4 start to 2025, he has been shown the door.Napier’s tenure marks the worst stretch of football at Florida since the 1940s.Florida is off this week before the Gators head to Jacksonville to meet Georgia in a rivalry showdown on Nov. 1. It will be the fifth top-10 foe they’ve faced this season. UF said Billy Gonzalez, longtime Florida offensive coach, will serve as the interim head coach.UF Athletic Director Scott Stricklin said in a statement, “As Coach Napier has often said, this is a results-driven business, and while his influence was positive, it ultimately did not translate into the level of success we expect on the field.”Despite the team’s lack of success on the field, the players still have nothing but respect for their former head coach.”I’m extremely grateful for Coach Napier and everything he’s done for me and my family,” said sophomore quarterback D.J. Lagway. “I’m thankful, you know, to be able to play for him.”Since Steve Spurrier’s legendary run in the 1990s, only Urban Meyer has made it through four full seasons as Florida’s head football coach. Meyer retired after six seasons at Florida, citing health issues. UF will have to pay Napier roughly $21 million for his buyout agreement with half of the amount due in the next 30 days. “Never going to make everybody happy,” Napier said. “You get these leadership positions and you’re in charge, these are the things that come with it.”

    GAINESVILLE, Fla. —

    Editor’s Note: UF athletic director, interim head football coach to hold news conference at noon on Monday. Watch live in the player above.

    Original story:

    Billy Napier preached patience when he was hired in Gainesville. Less than four full seasons later, with a record of 22-23, he’s out of a job.

    Napier managed just one winning season in four tries at Florida, an 8-5 campaign in 2024. After a 3-4 start to 2025, he has been shown the door.

    Napier’s tenure marks the worst stretch of football at Florida since the 1940s.

    Florida is off this week before the Gators head to Jacksonville to meet Georgia in a rivalry showdown on Nov. 1. It will be the fifth top-10 foe they’ve faced this season.

    UF said Billy Gonzalez, longtime Florida offensive coach, will serve as the interim head coach.

    UF Athletic Director Scott Stricklin said in a statement, “As Coach Napier has often said, this is a results-driven business, and while his influence was positive, it ultimately did not translate into the level of success we expect on the field.”

    Despite the team’s lack of success on the field, the players still have nothing but respect for their former head coach.

    “I’m extremely grateful for Coach Napier and everything he’s done for me and my family,” said sophomore quarterback D.J. Lagway. “I’m thankful, you know, to be able to play for him.”

    Since Steve Spurrier’s legendary run in the 1990s, only Urban Meyer has made it through four full seasons as Florida’s head football coach. Meyer retired after six seasons at Florida, citing health issues.

    UF will have to pay Napier roughly $21 million for his buyout agreement with half of the amount due in the next 30 days.

    “Never going to make everybody happy,” Napier said. “You get these leadership positions and you’re in charge, these are the things that come with it.”

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  • Reports: Florida fires coach Billy Napier

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    (Photo credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images)

    Florida has fired head coach Billy Napier in the midst of his fourth season in Gainesville, multiple media outlets reported on Sunday.

    Napier, 46, posted a 22-23 record during his time with the Gators.

    Per the Orlando Sentinel, longtime receivers coach Billy Gonzales is expected to serve as the team’s interim coach. Florida (3-4, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) will return from its bye to face rival Georgia on Nov. 1 in Jacksonville, Fla.

    Napier’s last game was a win, as the Gators seized a 23-21 victory against Mississippi State on Saturday.

    Florida entered the season ranked No. 15 before losses to South Florida, LSU, Miami and Texas A&M. The last three on that list were all ranked in the top 10 at the time.

    Napier already was on the hot seat after compiling a 19-19 record in his first three seasons at Florida.

    He has a 62-35 overall coaching record after posting a 40-12 mark with Louisiana (2018-21).

    –Field Level Media

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