Where Florida football's head coaching job ranks ahead of Week 13
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The head coach search for Florida football has been mostly focused on bringing Lane Kiffin to Gainesville in the weeks following Billy Napier’s dismissal. However, the Gators are among a laundry list of schools that are also in the market for a new skipper.
One of the biggest questions facing the UF fanbase is a subject that can get a bit uncomfortable at times: How coveted is Florida’s top job in comparison to the rest of the college football realm?
The Gator Nation might now want to hear this, but Gainesville is not quite the destination it once was — especially after a half-decade filled mostly with failure. To be fair, Napier likely left the program in better shape than his predecessor, but the draw just is not there inside the Swamp like it was a decade or more ago.
Recently, James Franklin — who was let go by the Penn State Nittany Lions — took the Virginia Tech Hokies off the big board by filling their void. Otherwise, Florida remained in the same spot as our previous update, ranked third with an A-minus grade according to The Athletic’s rankings.
Breaking down Florida football’s head coaching job
“Florida might have the highest ceiling in this cycle, with three national championships since 1996. The natural advantage of being in Florida helps. The school’s financial investment is catching up to its peers, including a nice new football training building that finally opened.
“But Florida is also looking for its fifth coach since Urban Meyer left. It hasn’t clicked here in a while. Dan Mullen won but couldn’t recruit. Billy Napier could recruit but couldn’t win. In the new era of paying players, who’s to say those recent national titles contribute all that much to this job’s quality? Recent university administrative drama also doesn’t help, but it’s a high-level SEC job that almost anyone would want.
“Florida needs a coach who can get everyone on the same page, take advantage of the talent and build an identity. It’s been a long time since the Gators had one.”
- Record over the last five years: 28-30
- The Athletic’s estimated valuation: $1.08 billion (12th among Power 4)
College football’s 11 open coaching jobs rankings
- LSU Tigers (A)
- Penn State Nittany Lions (A)
- Florida Gators (A-)
- Auburn Tigers (B+)
- Arkansas Razorbacks (B)
- UCLA Bruins (B)
- Oklahoma State Cowboys (B)
- Stanford Cardinals (C+)
- Oregon State Beavers (C+)
- Colorado State Rams (C+)
- UAB Blazers (C)
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida football head coach job rankings and grades from The Athletic
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