The Florida Gators spent the weekend on the bye after firing Billy Napier, marking the start of a new era for this program. While Florida has several big games remaining, including this weekend's game against Georgia, everyone's attention in Gainesville has turned to the search for the Gators' next Head Coach.
Florida should end up being one of the best jobs available, given all of the resources available, the job being in the SEC, and how rich the state of Florida is from a recruiting standpoint. While the Gators will have one of the most appealing jobs in the Country, their timing couldn't be worse.
Florida waited too long, and now their Lane Kiffin dream is dead
Last season, Florida appeared ready to fire Billy Napier and start their search for a Head Coach, but they chose to keep him. Had Florida fired Billy Napier in what was a quieter coaching carousel, the Gators would've had the most appealing job, especially if DJ Lagway had stuck around.
If there was a time to lure Lane Kiffin away from Ole Miss, it was at the end of last season when the Rebels missed out on the Playoff with Kiffin's most talented team. Kiffin could've taken into account just how much talent he was losing and how that group still wasn't enough, and decided to take a jump to a new job.
Now Lane Kiffin has shown once again he can rebuild the roster once again and he's got a great chance at making the College Football Playoff. The Rebels just beat Oklahoma in an emotional win, and with just 4 games left to play, it looks like Kiffin has one of the best teams in the Country.
If Lane Kiffin makes the College Football Playoff, Florida can't make a pitch that they have a higher ceiling, as Kiffin will have proven he decides the ceiling of a program. Going on a run in the College Football Playoff will only push the process further back for the Gators.
Lane Kiffin winning this weekend, and likely punching his ticket to the College Football Playoff was arguably as big of a gut punch as the Florida Gators could take. On Sunday, their plan to land the best coach on the market hit another bump in the road in the worst way possible.
The LSU Tigers firing Brian Kelly the moment it became clear he wasn't the man for the job, unlike what Florida did, is the biggest blow for Florida. Both fanbases will debate which job is better, but the 3 coaches at LSU before Kelly all won a National Championship, while Florida has been searching for a coach since Urban Meyer left.
This coaching carousel looks like it's going to be one of the craziest we've seen in a long time, as several other top jobs could open up down the stretch. The Gators, however, already took their big blow this weekend as their chances at landing Lane Kiffin went down the drain.