Billy Napier contract buyout, explained: How much money would it cost Florida to fire coach? originally appeared on The Sporting News
Following a disastrous home loss to South Florida, Gators head coach Billy Napier has found himself back on the hot seat. Napier is in his fourth season in Gainesville.
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As Florida stares down one of the toughest schedules in all of college football, rumors are swirling surrounding his future as the Gators’ head coach.
The coaching carousel never stops spinning in college football. Let’s take a look at Napier’s contract details, including his buyout, to see how much it would cost Florida to fire him.
More:Six coaches to watch if Florida searches to replace Billy Napier
Billy Napier contract details
Napier was hired by Florida in November 2021. He signed a seven-year contract with the Gators, which goes through 2029. The deal gave him $51 million in guaranteed money.
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Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin hired Napier, his second football coaching hire of his tenure. He previously hired Dan Mullen, whom he worked with at Mississippi State.
Stricklin will once again be the one overseeing the potential coaching search in Gainesville. The AD signed a three-year extension with the school earlier this year.
More:College football picks, predictions against the spread for Week 3 matchups
Billy Napier buyout details
Napier’s contract with Florida iis set up so the school will owe him 85 percent of his contract if he is fired without cause.
According to the Gainesville-Sun, the school will owe Napier 50 percent of the buyout within 30 days of his firing. His remaining deal will be paid out in installments of 12.5 percent, beginning on July 15. Here’s that buyout structure, via the Sun, from a 2024 story:
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Total: $27,996,875
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Due within 30 days of termination: $13,998,437.50
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Due July 15, 2025: $3,499,609.13
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Due July 15, 2026: $3,499,609.13
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Due July 15, 2027: $3,499,609.12
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Due July 15, 2028: $3,499,609.12
OnlyGators.com reports that Napier’s buyout as of Sept. 2025 is $19.38 million.
Billy Napier coaching record
After Saturday’s loss to USF, Napier’s record fell to 20-20 overall in Gainesville. His lone winning season with the Gators came last year, as he led Florida to a surprise 8-4 record. During his first two seasons in 2022 and 2023, he went a combined 11-14. It marked the first time since the 1940s that Florida had consecutive losing seasons.
Here’s how Napier’s record compares to other previous Florida head coaches through 40 games or less. As you can see, he has the worst record of any of the previous three hires:
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Jim McElwain: 22-16 (over three seasons)
When Napier was hired at Florida, the perception was that he had everything the previous head coaches lacked.
Mullen was a great offensive playcaller, but the recruiting was nowhere near where it should have been. McElwain didn’t seem to be a culture fit—he was born in Montana, and aside from his three seasons as Alabama’s offensive coordinator, had little experience coaching in the southeast. Muschamp was an excellent recruiter and defensive mind, but the struggles offensively translated to not enough wins.
The main concern for Napier was not knowing how to coach at the Power-Four level. But having a strong recruiting and play-calling reputation paired with an obvious culture fit was enough to justify the hire.
Unless Florida has a surprise performance this season like he did last year, it seems all but likely there will be yet another coaching search in Gainesville.
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With games remaining against Top-10 teams such as LSU, Miami, Texas and Georgia looming on Florida’s schedule, that seems unlikely, even with the $19 million buyout the university will owe.
