After weeks of speculation, Florida parted ways with head coach Billy Napier on Sunday. Napier, who had been with the program since 2022, led the Gators to a disappointing 22-23 (12-16) record over four seasons. This is the first full-time Florida head coach to end his tenure with a losing record since Raymond Loupwho was 13-24 years old from 1946 to 1949.
Sports director Scott Stricklin will now lead the program’s first head coaching search since the 2021 offseason, when head coach Dan Mullen was fired mid-season after leading the Gators to a 5-6 start to the year. Stricklin will finally look to make the right choice as head coach, because no Florida the head coach has spent four full seasons at the helm since Urban Meyer resigned after the 2010 season.
At a news conference Monday, Stricklin praised Napier and thanked him for his contributions to the program. Along with this, he proclaimed that the current former head coach had left the Florida football program in a better place than he found it.
Stricklin says Napier left the program in a better place than he found it
“We had a meeting with Coach Napier and, as you would expect, he handled the situation as gracefully as possible,” Stricklin said. “None of us will find a greater individual. His integrity, his character, the way he has led this place. The investment he has made in this football program will always be appreciated. I think we will benefit from it for a long, long time. I appreciate Billy incredibly and I think we are all sad and disappointed that it didn’t work out from a results standpoint the way we wanted it to. But I am so committed to who he is as a than anyone. “
“He leaves this place in a much better position than when he found itfrom quality to the roster and much of the support structure our team now benefits from. Whether it’s our life skills program like GatorDone or other things. The kind of people he has brought to this program are top notch, so I want to recognize him and the respect and appreciation we have for him.
Since Meyer’s resignation, four different head coaches have come and gone from the program (Will Muschamp, Jim McElwain, Dan Mullen and Napier). Mullen led the way with a 69% winning percentage, followed by McElwain (65%), Muschamp (57%) and Napier (49%).
