![Florida head coach Billy Napier pats the gator head for good luck before an NCAA football game against Mississippi Stateat Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, October 18, 2025. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_161,w_2682,h_1508/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/194/01k7wpsb1tpcvms6pd4r.jpg "Florida head coach Billy Napier pats the gator head for good luck before an NCAA football game against Mississippi Stateat Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, October 18, 2025. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
On Sunday Afternoon, the Florida Gators finally brought the Billy Napier era to an end amid a 2-4 start to the season with a 1-2 record in SEC play. When Billy Napier survived the 2024 season, it came as a massive shock, but he was saved in many ways by the emergence of Freshman QB DJ Lagway. This season, the offense and Lagway regressed, which cost this team early in the season, ending any hopes of a playoff season.
The Florida Gators will now be looking for their next leader of the program and the search will attract some of the best coaches in the Country. When the Gators find their next Head Coach, he'll have to be far different than Napiers in one way.
Billy Napier's attempts to show swagger always felt forced, and more often than not, they were quickly proven to be moments everyone else could laugh at. This offseason, "Spot the Ball" became a rallying cry for Florida fans embracing the tough schedule. When you start the season 1-3, ending your hopes of making the playoffs in September, that mantra quickly looks ridiculous.
Florida needs real swagger in its next Head Coach
The Florida Gators are now in the market for a Head Coach, and the search will be very interesting as this could end up being one of the most attractive jobs available this cycle. While Florida will be looking for a winner more than anything else, the next Head Coach for the Gators needs to be a coach with swagger.
Billy Napier never had that swagger of a coach leading the Florida Gators, and the entire fanbase knew it. There's a reason the fanbase never let Billy Napier escape the "Sun Belt Billy" nickname and it's because he never gave them a real reason to believe he's the man for the job.
Two of the names Florida fans will throw out for their vacancy are rival SEC coaches Eli Drinkwitz and Lane Kiffin. While neither may end up taking the Florida job, both have an undeniable swagger that has helped them build Missouri and Ole Miss into winners on an annual basis.
The Gators are in such a talent-rich state that the right coach with swagger and the ability to recruit could build this team into a powerhouse in the SEC. The first task for whoever gets this job will be getting the young talent on this roster to return including DJ Lagway as it'll help the Gators compete in the first season of this new era.
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