$54 million college football coach predicted to replace Billy Napier at Florida

Florida fired Billy Napier on October 19 and has since been operating under interim coach Billy Gonzales while shopping for a permanent replacement.

Despite the program’s struggles this season, sitting 3-8 overall (2-6 in the SEC), its profile has placed it near the center of a busy coaching carousel.

The market has centered on a handful of high-profile names, notably Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss), Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri), James Franklin (recently hired at Virginia Tech), Brent Key (Georgia Tech), and several others.

However, on a recent episode of the “PFF College Football Show,” PFF’s Max Chadwick brought up another name, Washington’s Jedd Fisch.

“I’m predicting Jed Fisch to be the next head coach at Florida,” Chadwick told PFF’s Dalton Wasserman.

“It feels like Florida is going to be waiting on an answer from Lane Kiffin, as is maybe a school I’ll get to later on in LSU, and maybe that means Eli Drinkwitz gets snatched up by someone else. Maybe that means James Franklin gets snatched up by someone else. I don’t think Jedd Fisch would leave for UCLA, (but) I think he would leave for Florida.”

“I do think Florida is a better job than Washington. So one, it's a better job. Two, he went to Florida. He was an assistant coach at Florida for a little bit,” Chadwick added. “He’s not the splashiest hire overall that Florida can make, obviously, Kiffin would be that for the Gators, but he has familiarity with the program and can provide some much-needed stability to Gainesville.”

Washington Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch. — Pasadena, California, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch on the field prior to the game against the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Kiffin has emerged as the most prominent name linked to Florida, with reports describing Florida, LSU, and Ole Miss as parties involved in a multi-team pursuit and reporting family visits and multi-year contract offers around $90 million ($13 million annually).

Kiffin’s Ole Miss team is enjoying one of its best seasons, sitting 10-1 and ranked No. 6 in the country entering the final week of play.

This will now be his third straight season with double-digit wins, marking the most in program history.

However, Kiffin has yet to decide whether he will leave Ole Miss, and the school has publicly stated that discussions are ongoing amid the Rebels' historic season.

With uncertainty around Kiffin, Fisch has received a surge of attention.

Fisch, a University of Florida alumnus and former Florida assistant, is Washington’s head coach after prior stops at UCLA and Arizona, signing a seven-year, $54 million deal with the Huskies in 2024.

His overall head-coaching record is 31-32, largely driven by a poor 1-11 season at Arizona in 2021; across two seasons in Washington, he is 14-10 overall.

Fisch has publicly downplayed speculation that he might leave and emphasized focusing on Washington, but reporting shows consistent ties to Florida and other openings, as well as mention of UCLA.

If Kiffin moves, Ole Miss, LSU, and Florida will feel ripple effects as openings and contract moves reshuffle the market.

If he doesn’t go to Gainesville, Fisch is a logical fallback.

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