Florida coach Billy Napier remains on the hot seat heading into a Week 3 matchup against Texas A&M.
Napier is 11-14 since taking over the program in 2022, and the combination of a 41-17 loss to Miami in Week 1 and a tough schedule have some analysts wondering whether Napier will still be the Florida coach after – or even through – the 2024 season. How does that correlate to Saturday's game against the Aggies?
"I think must-win is really an understatement," ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum said on the "Put Up or Shut Up" podcast this week. "Should Billy Napier fail to win this game and Florida loses, again, I don't see how he can survive. I know that sounds like we're going for the headline — we're not."
Will Florida entertain a fifth coaching since Urban Meyer left after the 2010 season? A closer look at the turnstile of coaching who have come and gone since.
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Florida coaching history
Napier is the 29th coach in Florida’s history, and none are more popular than Steve Spurrier. The "Head Ball Coach" won the Heisman Trophy at Florida in 1966 and returned to his alma mater in 1990. He compiled a 122-27-1 record and was a three-time SEC Coach of the Year. Spurrier led the Gators to a national championship in 1996. He is the only Florida coach to win more than 100 games.
Ron Zook replaced Spurrier and compiled a 23-14 over three turbulent seasons. Florida then hired Urban Meyer from Utah. He rekindled The Swamp with a 65-15 run from 2005-10 that included national championship runs in 2006 and 2008. He was 36-12 in the SEC with a run led by Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow. Meyer announced his retirement after the 2010 season.
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Florida coaching changes since Urban Meyer retired
Florida has a 99-67 record since 2011, which ranks seventh among current SEC schools between Texas (100-67) and Missouri (96-70). The Gators have had moments of success, but Napier is the fourth full-time head coach the university has hired since Meyer left after the 2010 season. Here is a look at those coaches and where it went wrong:
Will Muschamp (2011-14)
Muschamp was Texas’ defensive coordinator when he was hired, and he had a background in the SEC as a former player at Georgia and defensive coordinator under Nick Saban at LSU. The Gators went 7-6 in his first season before an 11-2 season in 2012. The Gators did not go to the SEC championship game because of a head-to-head loss to Georgia that season. It deteriorated from there. The Gators were 4-8 in 2012 and had a 6-5 record in 2013 before Muschamp was let go by athletic director Jeremy Foley. D.J. Durkin was the interim coach for one game. Muschamp is now a defensive analyst at Georgia.
Jim McElwain (2015-17)
The Gators hired McElwain next. The former Alabama offensive coordinator was coming off a 10-2 season at Colorado State, and he did lead the Gators to back-to-back SEC championship game appearances in 2015-16. Losses to Tennessee and Florida State preceded a 54-16 loss to Alabama in the SEC championship game in 2016, and that set the stage for an exit during the 2017 season. Florida lost the 2017 season opener. On the Monday before the Georgia game, McElwain claimed that he received death threats along with players, but those claims were not reported to the university. Georgia beat Florida 42-7, and McElwain agreed to part ways with Florida the following week.
Dan Mullen (2018-21)
Mullen – who was the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach under Meyer – from 2005-08 arrived next. He was successful as the head coach at Mississippi State, and he led the Gators to New Year’s Day Six bowls in each of his first three seasons. Florida lost 52-46 to Alabama in a thrilling SEC championship game in 2020. The following season, however, did not work out. Florida finished 5-6 with Mullen, and four of those losses were to unranked opponents in SEC play. Mullen was replaced by interim coach Greg Knox before the season finale against Florida State.
Those three coaches combined for an 84-48 record at Florida before Napier was hired after the 2021 season. A look at how those coaches and Napier fared in the SEC and against ranked opponents:
| COACH | YEARS | OVERALL | RECORD | VS. | SEC | VS. | TOP 25 |
| W | L | W | L | W | L | ||
| Will Muschamp | 2011-14 | 28 | 21 | 17 | 15 | 9 | 12 |
| Jim McElwain | 2015-17 | 22 | 12 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 9 |
| Dan Mullen | 2018-21 | 34 | 15 | 21 | 14 | 5 | 8 |
| Billy Napier | 2022-present | 12 | 15 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 11 |
Why is Billy Napier on the hot seat?
Napier arrived after compiling a 40-12 record at Louisiana. He was an assistant coach under Dabo Swinney at Clemson and Saban at Alabama, and he appeared to be a logical fit with the Gators.
Florida finished 6-7 in his first season with future first-round pick Anthony Richardson at quarterback, and the Gators were 5-7 in his second season. Napier is 1-5 against traditional rivals Tennessee, Georgia and Florida State.
The blowout loss to Miami in the opener has ignited that hot-seat talk heading into Week 3 against Texas A&M. The Gators are 2-11 against ranked teams under Napier.
Freshman quarterback DJ Lagway had an impressive debut in Week 2 with 456 yards and three TDs in a 45-7 victory against Samford. Lagway is expected to split time with Graham Mertz in Week 3. The Gators have a brutal schedule that includes four top 10 teams in No. 7 Tennessee, No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Texas and No. 5 Ole Miss. It is a tough road to get to six wins and bowl eligibility in 2024.
