Florida plans to hire Louisiana’s Billy Napier as coach: Gators claw one of the most requested names

Florida seems to be recruiting Louisiana’s Billy Napier is the show’s next coach, according to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman and Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel. Napier’s name has been connected to the Gators for days with CBS Sports earlier noting he was a top candidate for the position because Florida acted quickly to replace Dan Mullen, who was fired on November 21 after the loss in the previous 24-23 round Missouri.

Napier has established himself as one of the top rising stars of the coaching industry. He’s currently leading the Ragin’ Cajuns to their most successful run in show history. Louisiana has enjoyed three consecutive seasons of double-digit wins, including an 11-1 drive in 2021 that will culminate in a matchup against the Sun Belt championship game. Appalachian State. Napier’s first season in Louisiana marks the Sun Belt’s first year in the title game, and the Ragin’ Cajuns have qualified for all four championship chances.

A fork from the coaching tree of both Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney, Napier has been featured in the SEC coaching circles for several years, including last year when Auburn was on the market after the sacking of Gus Malzahn. It is reported that Napier has been offered a number of Power Five jobs over the past few holidays, all of which he turned down because he patiently waited for the right moment.

Napier’s 39-12 record as a head coach speaks for itself, but his recruiting relationships through his time as an assistant at Alabama, Clemson and State of Florida making him the perfect fit for Florida.

Part of Mullen’s shortcoming with Gator included a lack of focus on recruiting. Wins and losses ultimately cost him his job – defeat to MIssouri was the team’s fourth consecutive defeat with a close loss to FCS rival Samford in the middle – but UF was recruited by multiple SEC teams. Most notably, Florida was surpassed by the opponent Georgia, which led to profound problems that were noticed late last year and throughout the 2021 season.

Florida beat Florida State 24-21 in Week 13 to finish 6-6 and become the qualifying tournament.

CBS Sports will update this breaking news story as it develops.