The onset of the inferno on Billy Napier hasn’t been easy. The head coach of the Florida Gators was hired in 2022 on a seven-year contract worth roughly $52 million, but now, after just 2 seasons, the fans in Gainesville desperately seek his exit. Napier’s coaching record with the Gators currently stands on a poor 12-16, which is tangential to the scrutiny he faces day-to-day. While speculating about the potential replacements for Napier’s job, Lane Kiffin of the Ole Miss Rebels seems to be a leading contender but is unlikely if he’d give up his role at Ole Miss Rebels to come to Gainesville. Interestingly enough, Kiffin could’ve been the coach in the very first place instead of Billy Napier, as per a recent revelation.

On the recent episode of ‘The Zach Gelb Show’, former head coach for the Florida Gators, Dan Mullen, came on to the show to discuss all things related to the program in Gainesville when he made a wild revelation that would leave the fans’ jaws dropped wide open. In one of the segments, he revealed that upon his exit, he suggested the name of Lane Kiffin to Scott Stricklin, the athletic director of the team, who instead ended up choosing Billy Napier to hold the reins of the team.

Dan Mullen spoke about how he was asked about his suggestion for the next coach to take over for him, and he instantly thought of Lane Kiffin. He said, “You know what’s pretty funny? When I got let go at Florida a couple of years ago, they asked me and I said, “Hey, I’d go hire Lane Kiffin right now.” I said if you’re gonna get rid of me, I’d go hire Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss right now.”

Thus, as the fire continues to devour Billy Napier wholly, it is evident that Striclklin also holds some part of the blame for progressively letting the Gators get so much worse. Moreover, if the organization had just gone with what Mullen had to say, the Gators could’ve had Lane Kiffin leading the team right now and possibly being a playoff-contending team. Thus, it could’ve been a boon for the Gators if Kiffin had ended up donning the Gators’ hat, but it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll make the jump now at such a peak of his career.

Kiffin would be “stupid” to make the shift to Gators, as per CFB insider

Throughout his coaching career, Kiffin has made several transitions. From being a head coach at Tennessee, USC, and even Florida Atlantic and even being an assistant coach for Alabama, Kiffin has seen his fair share of experience.

Kiffin made his debut with the Ole Miss Rebels in 2020, and since then, he’s led them to 2 Bowl game wins with impressive records overall. As he steps into his 5th season with the team, his coaching record of 37-15 speaks up for him.

So much so, that the rumors of the Gators bringing in Kiffin for the 2025 season seem a bit far-fetched since it would be a downgrade for the Miss Rebels’ head coach.

As per Mike Farrell Sports, Kiffin choosing to come to Gainesville as the Gators’ HC would be a bad idea for him. He said, “A rumor was somehow started that the Ole Miss coach would be interested in the Gators job when it opens, Billy Napier is a dead man walking and has been a colossal failure in Gainesville and a new coach will be in place to start the 2025 season. But it won’t be Kiffin. He’s not an idiot.”

Thus, as of now, it seems to be a surety that Billy Napier will not be present on the Gators’ field from next year, but it will be interesting to see who comes in to fill his shoes if not Kiffin.

If you’re interested in knowing more about college football and the current NIL landscape, do check out this ES Think Tank episode with Doug Sanders.