The Billy Napier experiment at Florida has not gone as intended, but in recent weeks, he has been able to get the most out of his players, as proven by their near-upset of the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs in Week 10 at a neutral site.
Despite this progress, the Gators remain 4-4 overall, and their record under Napier is 15-17. That simply isn’t good enough for a program as rich in history as Florida.
They haven’t had much success in quite some time, prompting suspicions about a major shakeup. During the “Matt Barrie Show” on Sunday, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum addressed the issue.
Finebaum stated that after seeing the Georgia-Florida game, many Gators supporters are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with Napier and are ready to see him depart.
One name that keeps popping up as a possible replacement is current Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. Finebaum said that hiring Kiffin may inject new energy and excitement into the Gators program.
“I talked to people in the parking lot at EverBank Stadium, and they want Lane Kiffin. You can agree or disagree, but that’s who they’re fixated on, and that hasn’t changed in ten weeks,” Finebaum said. However, he added, “There’s no way Lane Kiffin is leaving Ole Miss while his team is in the playoffs.”
Ole Miss remains on the outside looking in when it comes to the College Football postseason, and Week 11 will be critical for their season and postseason hopes as they prepare to meet No. 2 Georgia.
A loss would be their third of the season, and with their current position of No. 16, they can’t afford another SEC loss in the last month of the regular season if they want to stay in the postseason picture.
However, if Florida decides to break ways with Billy Napier and Ole Miss misses the playoffs, the speculation about Lane Kiffin’s probable move to Florida could gain traction.
Despite recent problems, Florida remains a top recruiting destination, with NIL chances and overall investment in its football program—resources that Kiffin might use to help the Gators advance.
Ole Miss, while competitive, may not have the same long-term growth potential as a program with Florida’s strong tradition and financial support. If both sides suffer defeats, this debate might quickly escalate.
