By Sean Labar
The Florida Gators want to win, and Billy Napier’s future is pretty much sealed after Saturday’s loss to Georgia has them sitting at (4-4) with Texas, LSU and Ole Miss up next.
The Gators have lost 18 of 33 games under Napier, and a majority of the losses were with Anthony Richardson leading the offense. He went on to become a top-five pick in the NFL.
Florida is (2-13) against ranked teams under Napier. If the Gators would have found a way to beat Georgia — and gain a little momentum to pull off a few upsets to close out the year — the Florida brass may have given Napier another chance in 2025.
But even though the assumed future of the program, QB DJ Lagway, went down with a possible season-ending injury against the Bulldogs, Florida didn’t capitalize on a prime opportunity despite Georgia making several mistakes.
Florida Gators Targeting Lane Kiffin To Replace Billy Napier According To Paul Finebaum
For as long as Napier has been on the hot seat, there have been rumors that the Gators plan to aggressively pursue Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin as his replacement.
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On Sunday, ESPN SEC analyst Paul Finebaum said the plan hasn’t changed, and now more than ever, the Gators are focused on Kiffin.
“I’m talking to people in the parking lot at Ever Bank Stadium. I’ll say that on the front end,” Finebaum said on the Matt Barrie Show. “They want Lane Kiffin. You can agree or disagree America, but that’s who they are fixated on, and that has not changed in 10 weeks.”
Kiffin has revamped his reputation, which took a major hit after he abruptly left Tennessee after one season, bolted for USC, and was fired three years later.
But then Nick Saban offered him a job as the Alabama OC and Kiffin became the architect behind one of the most potent offenses in America. That led to another head coaching opportunity with Florida Atlantic, where Kiffin broke multiple program records with two 10-win seasons in three years.
Kiffin is 41-17 since he became the Ole Miss head coach in 2020. He’s made significant strides on the recruiting trail and transfer portal. The Rebels are one of several SEC teams in the mix to make the College Football Playoff this season.
If Ole Miss makes the 12-team playoff, Finebaum can’t see him accepting a job to come to Gainesville.
“And I don’t think you can leave if you’re in the CFP, unless Florida goes ‘you know what we’re going to announce after the Florida State game, he’s leaving,” Finebaum said. “If they don’t have a coach within a week, it’s pretty obvious it’s somebody in the CFP. I don’t think you can pull that off in today’s world without just blowing your program up. But there’s no way Lane Kiffin is leaving Ole Miss while his team is in the playoffs.”
Kiffin has made some drastic moves in his head coaching career but I agree with Finebaum. And while Florida might pony up with a bunch of cash, I’m not convinced the Ole Miss coach is in any hurry to leave his current position. He’s turned the Rebels into a legitimate contender and doesn’t have the overwhelming pressure to win it all year after year. Right now? Ole Miss fans are thrilled to have Kiffin, while Gators fans would be calling for his job if the first season wasn’t great.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
