The Florida Gators have finally done it.
One day after defeating Mississippi State, 23-21, head coach Billy Napier was fired.
Napier’s name had been in hot seat rumors ever since the 2024 season, and on Sunday, it marked the end of his time in Gainesville.
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Napier finishes with a 22-23 record in four seasons with the Gators, and that includes a 12-16 SEC mark and a subpar 5-17 record against ranked opponents.
Florida owes Napier around $21 million, so it is a costly move by the program.
As such, plenty of candidates have surfaced for the Florida opening, with one being Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz.
On Sunday, college football analyst Paul Finebaum predicted who the next Florida head coach will be.
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ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum before the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. © Brett Davis-Imagn Images
That is Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin.
“I think Lane Kiffin, not at Penn State, but Lane Kiffin at Florida, is going to win — would win a national championship,” Finebaum said.
“Lane Kiffin has been on the precipice of leaving – not to revisit ancient history – but he was headed to Auburn a couple of years ago,” Finebaum said. “He was looking at Florida last year.”
Last September, Finebaum also suggested that Kiffin would leave Oxford to go to Gainesville if the opportunity presented itself.
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“I think Lane Kiffin would be the No. 1 target and frankly, I believe that Lane Kiffin would accept it,” Finebaum said.
Kiffin was the head coach at Tennessee, USC and Florida Atlantic before coming to Ole Miss. He has a 50-19 record in his sixth season at Ole Miss.
Ole Miss AD Keith Carter stated on Friday that he wants to get a deal done with Kiffin to stick around long-term, and with the Florida rumors circulating, it could be an interesting couple of months.
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Related: Emerging College Football Coach Named Candidate to Replace Billy Napier at Florida
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Oct 20, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
