After an unplanned meeting, Florida Gators fans knew what was coming. Despite how hefty his buyout was, the Gators have decided to move forward without head coach Billy Napier. Even though Florida just took down Mississippi State, that minuscule win wasn’t enough to save his job. Now, Gators fans are making their case for who should be the team’s next head coach.
Billy Napier’s Firing Leads to Fans Speculating Florida’s New Head Coach
News broke on Sunday, October 19, that the Gators would be firing Napier. Their head coach since 2022 has a career 22-23 record, but his early-season struggles were far too much to overcome. Now, ahead of their game against Georgia in two weeks, the Gators are stuck without a head coach.
“Mike Norvell and Dabo Swinney,” one fan speculated. Florida hiring Norvell would be quite the swing, as he has been with Florida State since 2020. With his 74-47 career record, Gators fans wouldn’t be upset with him coming to town. His lack of postseason success is apparent, though that is something that comes with time. Swinney going to Florida would be a massive shift in the college football landscape as fans begin to speculate.
Jon Gruden in Gainesville 👀 pic.twitter.com/tvyiF8fdPY
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) October 19, 2025
The official DraftKings account posted an edit of Jon Gruden in Florida Gators gear. The ex-NFL head coach has long been rumored to return to coaching, but doing so in Florida would be a much bigger deal than seeing him back in the NFL. With Bill Belichick’s controversial North Carolina tenure going on at the same time, Gruden in Florida could be something that becomes a reality.
“Kiffin come home,” one fan proclaimed. Their post is referring to Lane Kiffin, who has a career 112-53 head coaching record at the collegiate level. The 50-year-old had previously been the head coach of Florida Atlantic before going to Ole Miss in 2020.
This fan commented, “Hire Franklin, pay him 9 million. Thx.” Their cheesy comment is a direct reference to Franklin being fired from Penn State, a team that owes him more than double what Napier is set to make after being let go by the Gators. Regardless, the former Nittany Lions coach could be the ideal candidate for Florida.
An intriguing name was mentioned, “That’s Drinkwitz’s job to lose,” this fan said. Eliah Drinkwitz is currently in the SEC with Missouri, a team he has done a fantastic job of turning around. After one year at Appalachian State, Drinkwitz took his talents to the biggest conference in the nation and has exceeded all expectations.
