Former Florida football coach Billy Napier eyed for pair of HC jobs
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It looks like the next stop for former Florida football head coach Billy Napier could be just over the horizon after three-and-a-half seasons with the Gators in Gainesville.
According to CBS Sports writer Matt Zenitz, Napier is "a person of interest" to the James Madison Dukes program, which recently lost its current skipper, Bob Chesney, to the UCLA Bruins following the conclusion of the postseason. If hired, it would represent a return to the Sun Belt Conference, where the 46-year-old coach achieved great success before bombing out in the über-comeptetive SEC.
Former Florida head coach Billy Napier has emerged as a person of interest for the James Madison head coaching job, sources tell @CBSSportspic.twitter.com/vGo98GuXvd
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 4, 2025
Napier has also been mentioned as a potential replacement for newly-minted Florida HC Jon Sumrall with the Tulane Green Wave as well, according to NOLA.com's Guerry Smith. This report also suggests that Napier is heading back to a Group of Five school.
Among the other candidates named, the former Florida coach is definitely one of the more intriguing options to replace Sumrall. Not to mention the silliness of the two programs appearing to trade coaches, which would make for some interesting social media discourse, to say the least.
My intel indicates #Tulane plans to wrap up its coaching search this week. Many candidates have interviewed, but the five I know of for certain are Bob Chesney (took UCLA job), Blake Baker, Billy Napier, Charlie Huff and Will Hall.
— Guerry Smith (@Guersmith) December 4, 2025
Unaffectionately known as "Sun Belt Billy" to the Gator Nation, Napier finished his tenure at Florida with a 22-23 record (.489), which represented the worst career record for a coach since Raymond Wolf (.359) was fired after the 1949 season.
Additionally, he amassed a 12-16 mark (.428) against other SEC schools, while going 18-23 (.439) against FBS squads. On Napier's watch, the Gators also went 4-16 against ranked teams, while going 17-7 at home, 4-12 in true away games and 1-4 at neutral sites, which includes one bowl victory in two tries.
During Napier's four years in the bayou with the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, he went 62-35 (.639) with three bowl appearances, which included a pair of wins. A return to the lower level might be the best fit for a solid coach who just was not cut out for the SEC.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida football's former head coach Billy Napier eyed for two jobs
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