Florida Gators could fire Billy Napier as soon as this weekend: insider

Billy Napier's days at Florida appear to be numbered, as a new bombshell report suggests the Gators could move on from the embattled head coach in the coming days.

Florida could fire football coach Billy Napier in the coming days, according to a new report. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Billy Napier’s days at Florida could be numbered, as the Florida Gators football may could be fired as soon as this weekend, according to a bombshell report from USA Today’s Matt Hayes.

That urgency arises from a recent meeting at which Gators football boosters confronted athletic director Scott Stricklin with an ultimatum that future financial support of the program is contingent on there being a change at the head coaching position, according to the report.

“Napier won’t survive another loss,” the report noted.

The decision to fire Napier would be costly. The coach signed a seven-year contract worth $51.8 million in 2021 to leave Louisiana for Florida that runs through the 2029 football season.

If the school wanted to buy out the remainder of his contract, it would reportedly owe Napier roughly $19.38 million, or the equivalent of 85 percent of his current remaining deal.

Half of that amount, or about $9.7 million, would be due with 30 days of his being fired with the rest being paid in equal installments every July through 2028, according to reports.

It’s apparently a sum that Florida’s boosters were also willing to pay last season amid the program’s struggles, but Stricklin intervened to keep Napier on, convincing the donors to instead direct more resources into the Gators’ NIL fund, per the report.

That resulted in Napier getting a more talented team to work with, most notably in the Gators flipping 5-star wide receiver Dallas Wilson to pair with 5-star quarterback prospect DJ Lagway, but the results on the field never materialized.

Napier’s job security has been a subject of intense debate for more than a year. The coach is 21-23 overall into his fourth season, the single-worst mark for any Gators head coach in eight decades.

• 2022: 6-7 (3-5 SEC)
• 2023: 5-7 (3-5 SEC)
• 2024: 8-5 (4-4 SEC)
• 2025: 2-4 (1-2 SEC) through 6 games

That run includes an 0-14 mark against ranked opponents when playing away from home, and an 11-16 overall record against SEC competition.

There was some hope for Napier late last season. Florida started 4-5, but went on a late run to win four straight games, including major upsets against then-ranked SEC opponents LSU and Ole Miss, victories that ended those respective teams’ playoff chances.

But that success failed to continue into the 2025 season.

Florida dropped to 2-4 this year following a 17-point loss at Texas A&M, and is 1-2 in SEC play with an eight-point upset over then No. 9 Texas being the only bright spot in conference competition.

The Gators’ only other victory this season came in a 55-0 result against Long Island in the opener at home, but losses to then-unranked USF, LSU, and Miami followed before last week’s defeat against the Aggies.

Napier’s management of the offense has not resulted in much success.

Florida ranks 107th nationally in scoring offense with 22.3 points per game on average, and is 109th in FBS with under 121 rushing yards per game.

Going forward, the Gators play one of college football’s most difficult remaining schedules, with three of their six remaining opponents currently ranked, including No. 9 Georgia, No. 5 Ole Miss, and No. 11 Tennessee.

But from what it sounds like, Napier may not even be on the sideline by then.

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