Will Billy Napier Coach Against the Georgia Bulldogs?

Will Florida head coach Billy Napier be coaching against the Georgia Bulldogs?

The Georgia Bulldogs will take on the undefeated Ole Miss Rebels this weekend, but after that, they enter their second bye week of the season and then will travel down to Jacksonville to play the Florida Gators. The question is what will the Gators look like when the Bulldogs play them.

There has been a lot discussion around head coach's Billy Napier job security as the head coach. According to recent reports, it doesn't seem like Napier will make it to the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

According to Matt Hayes, Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin met with influential boosters Tuesday. The result of the meeting was that Napier could be fired as soon as this weekend. The Gators play Mississippi State this week.

Will Billy Napier Be Fired Before the Georgia Game?

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart and Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier talk before the game before the first half at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, FL on Saturday, November 2, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun] | Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Whether a win or a loss would hold ultimately make the decision is unknown, but it does seem like it is inevitable that Napier will be out of a job before the season ends. A loss to USF at home really got the ball rolling this year and then a loss to Texas A&M felt like the nail in the coffin.

Another aspect of it is Penn State went ahead and fired James Franklin this past weekend after back-to-back losses to UCLA and Northwestern. The Nittany Lions are able to begin their head coaching search and if Florida is going to let Napier go, they don't want to be too late to the party.

Kirby Smart has handled the Gators since taking over as the head coach at Georgia. The only two losses came during the 2016 season, Smart's first season at Georgia, and in 2020 when the Gators won the eastern division and played for a conference title.

The Gators will also be on a bye week after their game against Mississippi State, so it seems like an opportune time to make a head coaching change if they choose to do so. It would provide two weeks for the interim head coach to piece together a game plane before they are matched up against the Georgia Bulldogs for their annual neutral site game in Jacksonville.

Will Billy Napier Be Fired Before the Georgia Game?

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