College football jobs are slowly opening up around the country, and one job that the fanbase hopes opens sooner rather than later is at Florida. It feels like Billy Napier’s seat is getting hotter with each passing week.
If Florida decides to fire their head coach, it’s going to be costly with his buyout of $21 million. That’s a lot of money compared to some other schools that recently fired their head coach. Virginia Tech had to pay Brent Pry $6 million, and UCLA had to pay DeShaun Foster $7 million, which is not much compared to Napier. Oklahoma State is paying Mike Gundy $15 million after parting ways with him on Tuesday.
All of those numbers are not close to what Florida would have to pay out. According to former Gators coach Urban Meyer, the payout is too much right now to make a change.
Urban Meyer’s Take on Billy Napier Will Not Sit Well With Florida Fans
According to Meyer, finding $21 million to part ways with Napier is not going to be easy. On the “Triple Option” podcast, Meyer said that the money is already distributed.
“Billy Napier is caught in a firestorm. How’s it end?” Meyer said. “Again, I don’t see them making the change right now with $21 million (owed). And that’s going on pretty well-documented conversations with people throughout the country that there’s, once again, where does it go? Where are you getting that money from?
“Because the money’s already distributed. The money’s accounted for.”
If there is someone who has connections in Florida and around the country, it’s Meyer. Last year, Napier was on the hot seat, but an 8-5 finish bought him another year.
Florida Has a Difficult Remaining Schedule
At 1-3, the Gators have a very difficult schedule remaining for the rest of 2025. This week, they have a bye, but return to the field on October 4 when they host 10th-ranked Texas and Arch Manning.
After that, they travel to ninth-ranked Texas A&M on October 11, and have games with Mississippi State, Georgia, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Florida State to close out the season. You have to dig far to find a game that they could win.
A two or three-win season is on the table for the Gators this year, and if that happens, then Florida will have to make a move. Napier is 20-22 in Gainesville during his time there, which will look a lot worse at the end of November. If that happens, then the school may not have a choice other than to come up with buyout money.
If they fire Napier, then Florida goes to near the top of the openings that could be interesting to some of the top candidates this cycle. An SEC job with funding would entice a lot of coaches who would be considered for the job.
“It’s a tough job but a great job,” Meyer said. “I mean, Ohio State’s a tough job. Alabama’s a tough job. It’s just that the expectations are a little bit unrealistic. When I took over the Florida Gators, you know what the expectations were. National championship. That’s not it anymore at Florida right now. It’s just not.’’