Billy Napier's Future Uncertain as Florida Gators Head Coach

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00:00Another intriguing topic before the weekend, Coach, is the situation in Gainesville.

00:06We saw multiple reports saying that Billy Napier potentially could be out after this game on Saturday afternoon.

00:14Thoughts about what that does to the program, what that does to their upcoming game on Saturday,

00:20and your thoughts just where the Florida Gators potentially might go to get a new head coach?

00:25Well, again, Florida, again, they can go about where they want to go.

00:31Now, Scott Strickland, their AD, he was with, in fact, when I was at Auburn, he was the assistant AD, a young guy,

00:37and he was with my brother with my brother.

00:38I know Scott Strickland pretty well.

00:40He's not wanting to face what he's got face, but he's got boosters, very influential boosters that are putting the heat on him.

00:47And I guarantee you, when you go sit in a game like I did last Saturday

00:51and see all the financial backers that are invested financially and emotionally into that program,

00:58Florida's got a ton of them, and I guarantee it, if it doesn't get better somewhere down the road,

01:04they're going to make the move quicker, sooner rather than later.

01:07Like Billy Napier, I wish he could find a way, but they may have dug themselves a hole so deep

01:13that the AD has to make a move because you know what happens next?

01:16They get rid of the AD.

01:17That's the next thing they do if you don't make a bold decision.

01:20Let me ask you this because we have talked about the James Franklin situation being maybe the first domino

01:26and really putting pressure on other more key programs to make a move.

01:31But some of the names being mentioned, and obviously Kirk Signetti in Indiana,

01:36potentially in a Big Ten championship hunt, college football playoff hunt,

01:40some of the names that are mentioned, these coaches aren't going to come available

01:44until potentially after the college football season,

01:47especially if they're in the college football playoff.

01:50What does the school do, and how do they benefit by potentially letting Napier go

01:56at this point in the season?

01:58I understand their scope could be to look for a new head coach,

02:01but then you have to worry about kids transferring out and then starting right back at zero.

02:06No, there's not a perfect formula.

02:09I just know right now people are getting antsy.

02:12Their people want to talk to that coach's people.

02:15They want to make sure they're not behind on the negotiation with people

02:20that are willing to negotiate behind the scenes.

02:23That's why you fire somebody early,

02:25so you can get a decision made before recruiting starts or before signing date

02:29or before people jump in the portal.

02:31But the biggest thing is, if you see that it's not getting any better,

02:37I'm to the point right now where the coaches have such a good buyout,

02:41then the school just need to go ahead and make a move.

02:43If they're going to make a move, go make it.

02:46Go get it done because that coach is – it's not like he's ruined his career.

02:50And most of the assistant coaches, they have multi-year contracts,

02:54so it's not the end of the world for anybody on that staff.

02:57It's just start over and give you – and the school wants a chance

03:01to get on the front end of a good hire.

03:03Coach, you were on the sidelines only a couple of seasons ago, right, for ULM.

03:09How has the game changed?

03:10Because here you are two years later and we're seeing these situations play out

03:15in potentially Florida and obviously Penn State.

03:18How far are we from just a couple of seasons ago

03:22with NIL and potential buyouts of coaches?

03:24Well, you know, everything constantly changes.

03:29I remember when I was in coaching or when I got back into coaching about 10 years ago

03:34or 15, they were into coaching waiting.

03:37They would make a coach hire somebody as the coaching –

03:41remember Jimbo Fisher was the coach in waiting.

03:44They would say, okay, coach, we're going to make you hire this guy as your coach in waiting.

03:48Now they're going to fire you right off the bat and get into somewhere else

03:52and they're not going to pull around with that coach in waiting

03:54because they found out that that doesn't really work either.

03:57So let's go to that coach, okay.

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