Former Florida Coach Billy Napier Named Candidate for Major College Football Job

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Once viewed as one of college football‘s next great young coaches, Billy Napier was fired by Florida after the team’s 3-4 start to what was his fourth year on the job. Throughout his tenure in Gainesville, Napier proved he could be an elite recruiter but struggled to translate off-field success onto the field, posting a 22-23 record.

As of Tuesday evening, there are 12 FBS coaching vacancies as Virginia Tech hired former Penn State head coach James Franklin. Oklahoma State also replaced Mike Gundy, but did so with North Texas head coach Eric Morris, whose Mean Green squad ranks No. 1 in all of college football in total offense.

While losing such a talented coach like Morris is a huge blow for North Texas, the early noise out of Denton indicates they could target a massive name like Napier.

As reported by On3’s Pete Nakos, Napier wants to get right back into coaching and may have a chance to do so at one of the more prominent Group of Six-level programs.

“Napier’s contract does not require him to search for a job — the buyout was fully guaranteed. But sources have said Napier is open to returning to coaching in 2026, and the North Texas program is primed to continue winning despite Morris’ departure,” wrote Nakos.

Located less than an hour away from Dallas, North Texas offers access to one of the most talent-rich areas in the country. The program also offers a clear path to the College Football Playoff if its next coach can sustain the level of success Morris had. While Napier wasn’t able to put things together at Florida, he did have a 40-12 record at Louisiana (2018-21) and may just need a change of scenery to get things going in the right direction.

With early signing day next week, it’s unclear how quickly North Texas will move to bring in a replacement. Morris and the Mean Green finish out the season on Friday against Temple.

Related: Oklahoma State Announces Replacement for Mike Gundy

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Nov 26, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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