SEC News: Florida to Hire UL's Billy Napier, Lane Kiffin Safe in Oxford?
Lane Kiffin was expected to be one of the hottest names on the coaching carousel this offseason. One job he won't be getting looked at is Florida.
As first reported by Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger and later confirmed to The Grove Report, the Gators are expected to hire Louisiana's Billy Napier as their next head coach. A announcement is expected to come from the school later this afternoon.
Entering his fourth season, Napier has become one of the staple Group of Five coaches expected to join the Power Five rankings in the coming years. Last season, Napier, 42, had the chance to interview for job openings at Auburn, South Carolina and Tennessee in the SEC, but elected to return to Lafayette for another season.
The Ragin Cajuns will face Appalachian State in the Sun Belt Championship on Saturday. Napier is still expected to coach despite the news of leaving for the SEC. Since arriving in 2018, Napier hold a 39-12 record, including 11-1 this season.
Napier agreed to a new contract during the summer that raised his salary to $2 million, with a $2.5 million salary pool for assistant coaches. Florida finished its regular season Saturday against Florida State with a 24-21 victory, improving to 6-6 on the season.
Mullen, who was fired following an overtime loss to Missouri, finished 34-15 in four seasons with the program. He was paid $12 million in his buyout after agreeing to a contract extension last offseason.
Kiffin made history with Ole Miss Thursday night in the Egg Bowl win. With the 31-21 victory over Mississippi State the No. 9 Rebels (10-2, 6-2 SEC) finish with 10 regular season wins for the first time in the history of the program.
Kiffin's name has been linked to programs such as Florida and Miami (FL) due to his time at Florida Atlantic. According to multiple reports, the second-year Rebels head coach is expected to be one of the top names on the Hurricanes' list should the team elect to fire Manny Diaz this offseason.
Miami finished the 2021 season with a 47-10 win over Duke, improving to 7-5 on the year. In three years, Diaz, 47, hold a record of 21-15. A decision of his status has not been made as of this time.
The Rebels will not play next Saturday in the SEC Championship, but are expected to be in play for a New Year's' Six Bowl bid. Should Alabama make the College Football Playoff, Ole Miss would take the SEC guaranteed spot in the Sugar Bowl against the winner or runner-up of the Big 12.
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