Now think about this; you get handed solid financial backing with a roster that’s filled with talent and an amazing recruitment flow. It’s easy to get a lot done with this, right? Then how the heck does Billy Napier mess it up? The loss to Texas A&M pretty much marked the end of Billy Napier’s era at the Gators. Even if the team won against MS State, it wasn’t enough. The damage was done and the Gators’ fans wanted Billy Napier off of the team.

So, a Gators’ insider suggests a quick fix to safeguard Napier’s job as the HC. “You probably have to go to the offensive side of the ball,” David Waters points out, on AYS Sports Show, while talking about what Napier can do to win the rest of the schedule. See, Napier has made a heck lot of bad choices. The biggest one was putting Graham Mertz as the starting QB for the team. As Waters mentioned, “Graham Mertz played his worst game as a Gator against Miami.” The guy got nothing done, and the Gators went home with a staggering 41-17 loss to the Hurricanes.

Using DJ Lagway as the starting QB makes so much sense. Take the Samford game as an example. Mertz was out because of an injury and Lagway was put up for the task. With 3 touchdowns and 456 yards from Lagway, the Gators got the dub with 45-7 on the scoreboard. This is what you call a good quarterback. Came over for his first game and rocked it out of the ballpark.

And then you come to the Texas game. Our good old Mertz managed to pull in 1 touchdown and 1 interception and the Gators lost to a team which ain’t even on the top list in the SEC. If this is how you play against a team that ain’t even in the major league, then how do you expect to win against powerhouses like the Bulldogs, Longhorns, or Ole Miss? The biggest dilemma that the University of Florida is facing right now is the fact that even if they decide to fire Napier right now or after the season, it’s going to cost the Gators a lot.

If we look at the contract, if Florida parts ways with Napier during/after the 2024 season, they are going to owe him around $25.67 million. And much like Paul Finebaum pointed out back on September 16th, “‘Can Florida afford to spend $26 million to fire Billy Napier?’ I respond by saying, ‘Can they afford to keep him?’ And my answer is no.” It’s a lose-lose situation for the Gators, but if the committee does decide to fire Napier, who could be the perfect replacement for him?

Finding the ideal match

Back on September 17th, an in-depth discussion regarding who could be the next Gators HC was brought up on ESPN’s College GameDay Podcast. The wish list of hypothetical coaches had some big names on it. “Right, Kiffin, James Franklin, Eli Drinkwitz, Matt Campbell, Matt Rhule, Mike Gundy, all right?” ESPN had mentioned.

Out of all, the names that make the most sense would be Matt Rhule and Lane Kiffin. If we look at the Huskers right now, Rhule has managed to do some weird magic on them. After taking over, the Nebraska Cornhuskers football has changed drastically. Right now, on the offensive end, they probably have one of the best freshman QBs out there (Dylan Raiola). And if we look at the defense, then the Huskers D-line is one of the best in the country.

However, the Huskers are on a roll right now and we are pretty sure no amount of money can make Rhule change his decision. But, Kiffin can. It’s not about the money. It’s more about the fact that Kiffin could bring some game-changing turnover here at the Gators. Ole Miss has become one of the top contenders in the country right now and it’s all thanks to Kiffin and how he has managed to change the team.

ESPN had pointed out that the roster that Kiffin holds at a small program like Ole Miss can have multiple NFL draft pick candidates. “In terms of combine invites, and they’re gonna have double-digit draft picks,” ESPN had mentioned. While an ultimate decision is yet to be taken, do let us know who you think would be the perfect person to take over Billy Napier’s job.