Billy Napier went out a winner. His Florida Gators were victorious Saturday, hanging on for a 23-21 win over SEC foe Mississippi State.
Then, he was gone.
The embattled head coach was reportedly relieved of his duties Sunday afternoon, satisfying the Gainesville fans who’d spent their afternoon booing him despite a win. His Week 6 victory over then-No. 9 Texas wasn’t enough to overcome a string of disappointing losses at a program conditioned for excellence but suffering through an extended stretch of mediocrity.
This move wasn’t unexpected. Napier struggled his first two seasons at the helm, going 11-14 with a Las Vegas Bowl loss as his seat warmed leading up to the 2024 season. That campaign saw a 4-5 record create swirling rumors of his impending doom, but an injury to starting quarterback Graham Mertz and inspiring play from freshman five-star quarterback DJ Lagway helped spark a four-game win streak to end the year. The former Louisiana coach stayed on with hopes of parlaying Lagway’s return and a hot finish into 2025 success.
That didn’t happen. Florida opened the season ranked 15th in preseason polls, but crashed out of the top 25 entirely after getting upended by South Florida 18-16 at home in Week 2. His offense scored 17 total points in losses to top-five opponents LSU and Miami (FL) to put an exclamation point on a 1-3 start. A win over preseason Heisman Trophy favorite Arch Manning and the Longhorns only served to delay the inevitable.
Why did Florida fire Billy Napier now?
The Gators may have won Saturday, but nearly saw a 14-point lead disintegrate in the final 12 minutes against an overmatched Mississippi State team. Losing as a 9.5-point favorite wouldn’t be new or shocking for Napier, however. He lost as an 18.5-point home favorite against South Florida and as a six-point favorite against a four-win Arkansas team in 2023.
Moving on from him now allows Florida to examine its roster and give new players opportunities as it sets its chess pieces for 2026. The Gators also don’t have to worry about losing players to the transfer portal immediately. A new NCAA rule enacted this fall means players can’t formally declare their intention to leave until five days after a new coach is hired.
How much is Billy Napier’s buyout?
It’s not James Franklin expensive, but it’s not cheap either. Per USA Today’s coaching salary database, he’s owed roughly $21.4 million for the privilege to *not* coach the Florida Gators.
Napier’s buyout is more than $21 million. Half of that number is due to Napier within 30 days. He is not subject to off-set or mitigation, which means he’s due all of it even if he lands another job. https://t.co/JrBAjGwIsY
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 19, 2025
With a 33-5 record his last three seasons at Louisiana, he could be an asset for a Group of 5 program in need of a new coach. But he’ll need to rebuild his value to have any shot of returning to a top job in a Power 4 Conference going forward.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why did Florida fire Billy Napier after a win?
