Ad Disclosure
Billy Napier hot seat: Report reveals role Florida AD will play in future decisions
Published:
Billy Napier doesn’t seem long for Gainesville. The Florida Gators are 1-2 to open the 2024 season, with both losses coming in blowout fashion at home and stretching a losing streak against FBS competition to 7 games.
Rumors have swirled in recent days that Napier will not get a fourth season at Florida. A report from CBS Sports‘ Brandon Marcello and Richard Johnson on Friday stated Napier “can be fired any moment,” which likely won’t surprise many who have been following the situation with any regularity.
But there is another dynamic at play when discussing Napier’s future, and that’s the role of athletic director Scott Stricklin. With an interim president in place and Stricklin inching closer to having 2 failed football hires on his Florida CV, speculation about his future has ramped up.
Firing an athletic director and a football coach in quick succession is not unheard of. Georgia Tech did it in 2022 when the school simultaneously fired AD Rick Stansbury and head coach Geoff Collins. In 2017, Nebraska fired its athletic director mid-season, quickly hired a replacement, and then officially fired its lame-duck coach at the conclusion of the same season.
According to CBS Sports, Stricklin — who reports directly to the president — has been informed the decision to retain or fire Napier is his to make, and any coaching search to replace Napier would be his search to conduct.
From CBS Sports:
Rumors of wholesale changes in the athletics department appear premature, sources tell CBS Sports, with communication between the president’s office and Stricklin remaining open and positive. Napier, however, is the lone party on an island, fighting for survival.
…
Even if Florida wanted to clean house in its athletic department, there is an open question as to whether Florida’s leadership structure is equipped to do that right now. Stricklin reports directly to the president of the university, but after Ben Sasse resigned during the summer, former president Kent Fuchs (who served from 2015-2023 and hired Stricklin initially) was tapped to serve as interim. Fuchs is not expected to pursue the full-time job a second time, and a search for a permanent president — expected to last into 2025 — is just getting off the ground. Fuchs is not expected to act on his own due to his interim status.
Stricklin served as the athletic director at Mississippi State from 2010-16. Shortly after taking the job at Florida, he parted ways with Jim McElwain and brought Dan Mullen over from Mississippi State to lead the football program. When Mullen was fired in 2021 (with a 34-15 record), Stricklin made the move for Napier.
Saturday Down South’s Neil Blackmon reported earlier this week that, should Florida move on from Napier, the school is expected to pursue a “proven name” with a Power conference pedigree.
“As a university, we have tried the young names with great records but no power conference experience. It doesn’t work in this era of the sport. If and when we are ready, this search will be for a premier and proven name,” a source told Blackmon. “We are in the Alabama ’06/’07 mode. They made a commitment to hiring a proven winner. That’s what the University of Florida will do, to the extent we can influence things.”
Several names have already been linked to the potential Florida opening, including Washington head coach Jedd Fisch and Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. Florida faces Mississippi State in Starkville on Saturday (noon ET, ESPN) before heading into a bye week. The Gators are a 6.5-point favorite (FanDuel) over the Bulldogs.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
