Florida has appointed Billy Napier of Louisiana as the Gators’ next football coach, the school announced Sunday.
“We are humbled & honored to accept this incredible opportunity to become the head football coach at the University of Florida,” Napier said in a statement. “Our team, staff & the entire organization will work every day with integrity and class to establish a program that we can all be proud of. More importantly, we will create a culture that will support our players.” Be focused to make an impact; as people, as students, and on the field.
“We embrace the expectations & are excited about the challenge ahead. We will gather a special group of people & immediately work to build a great program. President Dr. [Kent] Fuchs & Athletic Director Scott Stricklin Special thanks to. We look forward to moving to Gainesville & starting this journey!”
Napier plans to coach Ragini Cajun in the Sun Belt Championship game against Appalachian State on Saturday (3:30 PM ET, ESPN).
Napier, 42, has been in Louisiana the past four seasons & has led Ragini Cajun to 10 or more wins in each of the last three seasons. Prior to his arrival, Louisiana had never won 10 games in a season in the program’s history.
He has turned down several SEC head-coaching opportunities in recent years and again this season has emerged as a target for several high-profile positions. LSU and Virginia Tech also became interested in Napier during this recruitment cycle.
“I have studied and studied Billy Napier’s career, and he became a primary target shortly after this position opened,” Stricklin said in a statement. “We believed he would be an excellent leader for the Gators, which is why he was the only candidate I met about the job.”
Napier, a former Furman quarterback, coached under Dabo Swinney in Clemson and Nick Saban in Alabama. He was the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at Arizona State for one season before landing the job at Louisiana in 2018.
A determined recruiter in Louisiana, Napier’s offenses have averaged 31.9 points or more per game in all four of his seasons at Lafayette.
He replaced Dan Mullen, who was 34-15 in four seasons in Florida and led the Gators to the SEC championship game a year earlier. But Mullen lost four straight games to Power 5 teams this season and was 3-9 against Power 5 foes in the final three games of the 2020 season.
Florida defeated rival Florida State 24–21 in Saturday’s regular season finale to finish 6–6 and qualify for the latter part of the season. The Gators’ 2-6 SEC record was their worst in the league since 1986.
Napier became Florida’s fourth head coach since 2014, Will Muskamp’s final season at Gainesville. The Gators last won the SEC Championship in 2008. Between 1991 and 2008, he won eight SEC titles, six of which were won by Steve Spurrier.