Billy Napier’s tenure as the Florida Gators head coach ended with a 23-21 win over Mississippi State in Week 8.
On Sunday, Florida officially fired Napier after he posted a 22-23 record in four seasons in Gainesville.
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Instantly, several names popped up as possible candidates, including USC coach Alex Golesh, former Penn State coach James Franklin, and Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin.
Paul Finebaum even predicted Kiffin as the next coach at Florida and said Kiffin can win a national title with the Gators.
Florida enters a pivotal stage to replace Napier, so it could be some time before the program makes a hire.
Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden.© Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Fox Sports commentator Tim Brandon also engaged in some discussions on X, and he had floated a well-known name as the potential coach: Jon Gruden.
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“Perhaps Coop but these issues I’ve pointed out are no less accurate. They’re deeply embedded. If I’m Scott (Stricklin the AD), whom those same fans cluelessly ridicule, I’d say ok let’s bring in @BarstoolGruden and let the chips fall. I’m sure they believe Jon’s the answer.”
The Florida fan base had been clamoring for Napier to be fired for quite some time, even dating back to September of last season.
On Saturday, it continued as fans chanted “Fire Billy” even despite the Gators’ lead.
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Hiring Gruden would be interesting, to say the least. He has a 117-112 record across 15 NFL seasons.
While Gruden has never been a college coach, he recently spoke about always being ready to coach again.
“I absolutely love football,” Gruden said. “I love it, and it’s pretty much all I have. I’ve got a server in there. I just put a lot of money into a server that collects all the film and allows me to study them. Who knows what will happen, but I’m preparing myself as always to coach.”
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Gruden is a big name in the Florida area since he was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach for seven years and won a Super Bowl with the team.
Gruden is currently a part of Barstool Sports, but a return to coaching could be in store at some point.
Whether or not Florida makes the call remains to be seen, but it sure is an idea.
Related: Paul Finebaum Predicts Florida’s Next Head Coach After Firing Billy Napier
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.
