Oct 22, 2025
3 min read
Jobs are open in Florida.Can other coaches understand and that coach literally be on your list of copycats?
Even after the shortage of Florida in 2024, Billypier needs to be strong and strong while navigating a deep area to ensure his long-term future as the Katoran Gators.
After another slow start, this season with losses to South Florida, LSU and Miami, NAPIER could not dig themselves out of the canyon this time.He was fired Sunday with a final record of 22-23 in Gainesville.
Florida is looking for a new head football coach in December for the fifth time since the departure of an urban mayor in 2010. The job has obvious advantages — proximity to recruits, fan and financial support, and the chance to compete for a national championship — but the coaching success in Zanesville is undeniable.Meyer won big there, but only for a relatively short timeFlorida had three straight AP top-six finishes under Charlie Pell in the mid-1970s.and Galen HallOtherwise, Steve Spurrier is the only coach to produce a back-to-back winner with the Gators.
Florida has provided the necessary support to encourage employment, and made it clear in recruitment.The coach who met the gator two seasons back talent on paper.But things did not come until many days Napier, because Florida did not make the 12-teukidor small football playoffs and not this season.
Athletic director Scott Stricklin has signed a contract extension this summer and will be looking to hire his third head football coach.How much recruiting power he actually has is the question surrounding this search.Florida hasn't created a CFP yet, and it really needs to get this one right.There will be no shortage of one of the top jobs on the market.
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Five candidates for the job
Good Miss Mark Kiffin Kiffin: He ended up close to the closest championship in college football: Playcalling and PlayCack, Trans and Playcack closest Kiffin, 50, 50, Georgia, Georgia, South Carolina, last season he is 27-6 since the start of the 2023 season.His biggest success was when he became an assistant coach.In 2017 and 2019, he received the title of Master of the United States of America and the State of the United States of America.
Missouri coach Elijah Drinkwitz: Kiffin should be Florida's top target in the SEC, but Drinkwitz is also worth a closer look.Like Spurrier, he's an offense-minded coach who delivers the goods when behind the microphone and brings a confident style of play to Gainesville.After a slow start in Columbia, Drinkwitz, 42, led Missouri to a Cotton Bowl title and No. 8 seed in 2023 and a 27-6 record to begin the 2023 season. The Arkansas native could position Missouri for a third consecutive winning season in SEC play.Drinkwitz likes Missouri, which has given him a strong commitment over time, but he may look to a program like Florida if he wants to win a national title.
SMU coach Rhett Lashlee: After leading the Mustangs to the CFP in his first season as an ACC member, Lashlee is one of the top coaching candidates.His next stop will likely take him to the SEC. He coached twice at Auburn with Gus Malzahn and served as the Tigers' offensive coordinator from 2013 to 2016. Lashlee, 42, will also bring experience at Florida State after serving as the offensive coordinator at Miami in 2020 and 2021. He has 11 wins in each of his last two seasons at SMU.
Washington coach Jedd Fisch: Few coaches have hopscotched around the college and NFL map quite like Fisch, who at 49 has worked for seven NFL teams and six college squads since the 2002 season. He views Washington as more of a long-term play after reviving Arizona's program with a 10-win season in 2023, but if there was a destination job that existed for Fisch, it would be Florida, his alma mater. He spent time as a student assistant and a graduate assistant with Spurrier and has worked in the state as an offensive coordinator for Miami and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Washington certainly doesn't want to lose another talented coach so soon, but if Fisch has a big season, Florida could come calling. Fisch is 11-8 at Washington.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman: Any coaching search, especially one as coveted as Florida's, needs a "shoot your shot" candidate or two.Freeman seems very happy at Notre Dame, which has rewarded him financially, and likely will this season, especially if he returns to the CFP.At Notre Dame, he certainly doesn't want to lose his second straight coach to an SEC team, but the 39-year-old Freeman is one of the hottest coaches on the market and would give Florida a boost with his track record and recruiting style.The Dayton, Ohio, native has spent his entire playing and coaching career in two states -- Ohio and Indiana -- and will have to adjust to the SEC.But he is nationally recruited and has shown he can consistently win, especially in the playoffs last season.Florida would be foolish not to at least appreciate his interest.- Adam Rittenberg
Five key players were retained
Qb dj Lagway: Can coach himself protect Lagway in Gainesville?The sophomore QB is very loyal to Napier and will have the money to build the program.Keeping Lagway may be the most important thing for anyone taking this job.(56.7) and 15th in passing attempts (6.82), and he exploded at Florida.Maybe he still has a chance to be one of the top-paid qbs in the country next year, regardless of how his sophomore year plays out.
If the Texas native wants to stay close to home, he'll have options.Texas A&M tried to sell Lagway's recruitment at the last minute after Mike Elko took over in December 2023. His father, Derek Lagway, played at Bayelor in the late 1990s.Lagway will enter his junior season and be eligible next year, putting himself in the best place for development, and the NFL, whether it be a new system in Florida or elsewhere, will undoubtedly influence that decision.
Rb Jadan Pagh: The ball, ball that came out as goto 'to enter the rader in week 8, fell belt behind the illegal plays behind to force his first operation.On Saturday, he rushed for a career-best 150 passes to help power Gortossphi state.The bar will be two major seasons of ability and is expected to gain interest throughout the country and the country.
lb myes Graham: Graham made his debut as a sophomore and led them with 40 sacks, 3.5 TFLs and three pass tags.The former Garrett and NFL running back said Graham is poised to play a productive season in 2024 as the fourth-ranked quarterback.It would have been difficult if he had moved away from Egypt, but he is a brilliant player.
WR Vernell Brown III: True freshman, no. The 41st overall pick for 2025 has earned an immediate starting role and has a team-high 32 catches for 463 yards through seven games.He's the son and grandson of a former Gators, so there's a lot of loyalty there, but Brown will command a lot of interest.You can also put several Gators receivers on this list, including Dallas Wilson, Eugene Wilson III and Aidan Mizell.All four would be highly desirable if they explore transfers.
DT Caleb Banks: It's a big deal for Banks to switch to the NFL system for another season with the Gators and his staff.He is one of the top three defensive backs prospects in the 2026 draft and will almost certainly turn pro after a special season if he needs to for medical work.The 6-year-old, 5,330-pounder missed the first two games with a foot injury.Do it against LSU and now expect to be on offense.- Max Olson
Three key employees
DE Jarelon McCoy, No. 9 in the 300: McCoy committed to LSU and Texas in June and is the fifth-ranked edge rusher in the Class of 2026.McCoy and his family are often familiar with the Gators, insisting on commitment to the program, if not much of a promise.In Texas, among others.
QB Will Griffin, No. 69 in the 300: Griffin, a Gainesville native whose family went to UF, has been committed to the Gators since June 2024 and his recruitment has been virtually complete for more than a year.From today's perspective, there is no indication that Griffin will leave.But Napier's departure is at least a No. 6 pass for any QB-needy program.If more elite signings emerge from Florida's class, it will be imperative for the Gators to figure out how to keep Griffin on the roster.
RB Davian Groce, no.36 overall: An August commitment, Groce will be the Gators' highest-rated running back signee since Kelvin Taylor in the 2013 cycle.Florida was late in the recruiting process for Gross as the No. 4 prospect over possible competition from Baylor, Houston and Oklahoma.Those schools are likely to come back with Gross if Carolina's early fall target Karsyn Baker -- reopens his recruitment and goes elsewhere.-- Eli Lederman
