Florida Gators coaching candidates: Lane Kiffin, Marcus Freeman lead options to replace Billy Napier

Image Credit: Ole Miss

Billy Napier was fired Sunday before completing his fourth season coaching the Florida Gators. With the program making its fifth coaching change since the end of the 2010 season, finding the right candidate will be a tough task for Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin, who is somehow not only being allowed to hire his third head football coach but doing so on the back of a new five-year contract extension.

The Gators hired Napier, in large part, because of his ability to build a football program. Florida was in need of structure and recruiting acumen, which Napier brought to the table. His struggles with in-game decision making, game preparation and staff construction — along with the stubbornness that was his refusal to give up offensive play calling — ultimately doomed his tenure.

There’s no question that the Florida coaching job is a unique yet potentially rewarding one. Anyone who takes over the Gators must be prepared to deal with immense pressure, a demanding fan base and an ever-more-difficult recruiting culture given the advent of name, image and likeness rights. Florida has proven it can bring in top-ranked classes, but the Sunshine State is a hotbed that is no longer dominated by the in-state powers; instead, it is poached by every top-tier national program.

Three of the four hires preceding the next coach did not have Power Four head coaching experience. Dan Mullen was the lone exception, though his refusal to recruit and quiet quitting on the team in his fourth season was enough to justify his ouster.

Let’s take a look at where the Gators may turn to replace Napier. This may be an extended coaching search as a number of positions are expected to open, and the candidate pool is rather shallow, but the early signing period beginning in early December — plus the entire roster now being able to immediately enter the transfer portal — puts an onus on programs and their ADs to act decisively.

Florida Gators coaching candidates

Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss head coach: Kiffin has completely revitalized his image, moving from a silver-spoon wielding offensive guru granted too many opportunities too soon to a matured coach who has mixed having fun with tremendous on-field performances. One of the best recruiters in college football — as proven across four different stops — Kiffin increased his overall acumen getting a glimpse of “The Process” under Nick Saban at Alabama. The Rebels have won double-digit games in three of the last four seasons, starting the 2025 campaign with a 6-0 and top-five ranking.

Arguably the top choice of the Florida fan base over the last two coaching search processes, Kiffin earns $9 million per season with $2.6 million in potential 2025 bonuses. His buyout is around $4 million; however, Ole Miss stated last week that it aims to hand Kiffin a substantial raise as soon as possible. There’s no question that Kiffin and his high-flying offense would be a massive upgrade for the Gators — a return to the explosiveness once experienced under Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer — but it would require a risk on Kiffin’s part (not signing a new deal during the season) and Stricklin deciding, firmly, that he is the top candidate, informing agent Jimmy Sexton as soon as possible. The Rebels have the resources to keep him, though Kiffin has expressed a fondness for the Sunshine State following his time at FAU.

Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame head coach: Making a move for Freeman would be similar to Florida’s hiring of Meyer in 2025. It would be the Gators taking a risk on a young coach who has flashed early, hoping he could level up to the difficulties of the SEC week in and week out. Freeman took Notre Dame through the College Football Playoff to the national championship last season. In his first three campaigns leading the Irish, he has the program standing with an overall record of 33-9, 5-1 in the postseason record. Notre Dame has started 5-2 this year, but its two losses were to current top-five teams Miami and Texas A&M by a combined four points.

Freeman’s teams are disciplined and defensive minded, yet he understands the need for high-powered offenses. Perhaps most impressive is the way the 39-year-old manages his team in games. Freeman has succeeded Brian Kelly well beyond most expectations, and he will be a hot candidate in this market. Florida would likely have to compete with Penn State for his services, and that’s if Notre Dame does not hang onto him.

Freeman, an Ohio State graduate, likely sees the Buckeyes as his dream job. Sound somewhat familiar? He already earns $9 million per season, though his buyout is unknown. Freeman has no connection to Florida or the South as his entire coaching career transpired in the midwest, but the pathway to consistent recruiting and winning should actually be easier at the Gators, and the impact he can make on the program would be immense. He should be the No. 1 target.

Dan Lanning (Oregon head coach) and Kalen DeBoer (Alabama head coach): These two are grouped together because they hold top-tier jobs (due to prestige and resources) and are highly unlikely to make a move. However, they are two of the best coaches in the nation that UF should call because no one ever knows for sure. While Kelly is struggling at LSU, a similar situation could exist with either Lanning or DeBoer in that no one expected Kelly to leave Notre Dame at that juncture despite his concerns about the ability to recruit and succeed at that program. When Mario Cristobal exited the Ducks, it was for no other reason than getting to coach his hometown team and alma mater.

Lanning has no attachment to Florida — the school or state — though he is a Southern guy growing up in Missouri and rising to prominence making his bones at Georgia. DeBoer should have been the Gators’ top target had they fired Napier last year. He went 24-3 at Washington and holds a 15-5 record in his second season at Alabama where pressure has been immense. It’s doubtful the Crimson Tide want to move on — that would be quite an admission of failure from AD Greg Byrne — and there’s not an individual candidate that’s an obvious move for Bama. DeBoer picking up and moving seems like a non-starter.

James Franklin, ex-Penn State head coach: Franklin was astoundingly good at Vanderbilt (24-15 in three seasons) and rebuilt a PSU program that badly needed someone to completely buy in. Franklin went 104-45 with the Nittany Lions with three straight (six overall) double-digit win seasons in 11 completed campaigns. However, expectations were huge for Penn State in 2025, and it started 3-3 (0-3 Big Ten). Franklin routinely lost to Ohio State and Michigan, and he went just 4-21 against top-10 teams (1-18 against such Big Ten opponents). Sound familiar?

The Gators could absolutely do worse than Franklin, who would probably join the program and immediately get it back to its winning ways. However, considering the SEC is even more difficult week to week than the Big Ten, and Franklin did not improve against the best teams despite 12 years with the program, it’s tough to see this being the move Florida makes.

Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State head coach: The risk-reward of Dillingham is intriguing. The former Florida State offensive coordinator, who previously worked under Gus Malzahn, has completely turned around the Sun Devils. At age 35, he’s energetic and impressive, making a quick rise in the industry. However, Dillingham is still relatively neophyte as a head coach, and ASU is not only his alma mater but his dream coaching job. Florida would obviously be a major step up in his career — one which he might be capable of making — but there seems to be too much working against it happening, and Dillingham may not be keen to leave his dream job even if a position the stature of Florida is offered.

Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri head coach: Oklahoma born, Arkansas raised and a disciple of Malzahn, Drinkwitz is certainly an interesting cat. He’s led tremendous offenses throughout his career and parlayed a 12-1 record in one year at Appalachian State into the Tigers job. After hovering around .500 across his first three seasons, Drinkwtiz understood what Napier did not — he could no longer call the offensive plays while leading the team. Missouri has since gone 27-6 across the last two-plus seasons with every loss coming against ranked opponents (though Mizzou also has five wins against such teams). Penn State will likely have Drinkwitz as a top candidate, and Florida may not necessarily be interested in another eccentric offensive coach following Jim McElwain and Dan Mullen.

Jedd Fisch, Washington head coach: Fisch has coached all over the NFL and college football, but those in Gainesville, Florida, know he’s a UF graduate who also served as a graduate assistant under Spurrier. Parlaying a 10-3 record in his third year at Arizona into the head coaching job at Washington, Fisch went 6-7 in his first season. The Huskies are 5-2 so far in 2025, though the record is deceiving as they were outscored a combined 50-13 by Ohio State and Michigan. Given the prior rumors around a Fisch-Florida connection, Washington has him on a buyout of $10 million should he leave after the 2025 campaign. The Gators likely need a more-sure bet or more-exciting hire than Fisch. Considering his buyout and lack of proven long-term success, it’s tough to see him as more than an emergency option.

Other names you may see

The coaches listed below are not on Only Gators’ list of candidates but may be on those published by others. Here’s why they were left out of our consideration.

Nick Saban, ex-Alabama, LSU head coach: In his second year of retirement, Saban has not exactly refuted rumors that he could, potentially, coach again. The 73-year-old would not be a long-term hire, of course, and it would probably need to come with a coach-in-waiting commitment to his own chosen successor. Is that what Florida wants to do at this juncture? Would Saban even consider coaching a third SEC team? He’s got a pretty sweet gig as-is with ESPN, showing more personality on TV than he ever did as a coach. This is a pie-in-the-sky, check-with-the-agent-just-in-case type of option, one that will not happen.

Bob Stoops, Arlington Renegades head coach: This is simply a phone call will probably be made. The Gators’ former defensive coordinator was already part of one turnaround at Florida when Spurrier overhauled his defensive staff prior to the 1996 season. Stoops led an incredible defense over his three years at UF before being plucked by Oklahoma, where he went 190-48 across 18 seasons with a national championship in Year 2. Stoops, 65, retired from “serious” coaching nine years ago for non-medical personal reasons, and while he coaches in the UFL for fun, it would be an utter shock it he returned to the rigors of college coaching, particularly at such a demanding destination.

Brian Hartline, Ohio State offensive coordinator: As great a recruiter as Hartline may be, he has one year of offensive play calling experience and has never worked for a team other than the Buckeyes. Do the Gators want another coach calling his own plays, particularly one so inexperienced? Would Hartline even leave Ohio State, or is he perhaps smart enough to realize he’s not ready for a job like this? You may see his name floating around, but it’s almost certainly a non-starter.

Brent Key, Georgia Tech head coach: With the Yellow Jackets standing at 7-0 in front of the ACC, Key has suddenly become a hot name on job boards. This will be his third straight winning season since he was hired in 2022 to turnaround a triple option program greatly in need of a reworking, and there’s no question that he’s done a tremendous job. His experience in the Sunshine State with UCF is interesting, but such an elevation reeks of being too much too soon.

Clark Lea, Vanderbilt head coach: A Nashville native, Lea is a perfect fit for the Commodores, who are surging in his second season behind Diego Pavia. Whether that’s lightning-in-a-bottle for Lea is tough to say, but he’s not a coach Florida could risk hiring at this juncture of his career. Penn State, which went to the Vandy well for Franklin, may see him as a fall-back option.

Alex Golesh, South Florida head coach: It’s been a quick rise for Golesh, who coordinated under Josh Heupel for three seasons at UCF and Tennessee before getting plucked away by USF. Going 7-6 in each of his first two seasons was above expectation, and the Bulls are 5-1 this year with a loss to Miami but wins over Florida and Boise State. Winning games to that degree with limited talent is impressive, but as is the case with other coaches having moderate success after a couple years, it would be quite a risk to take buy into the short-term success.

Jon Sumrall, Tulane head coach: Stricklin selling the Gators fan base on another Group of Five coach with limited experience would be almost impossible, but Sumrall has been a winner to this point. He went 23-4 in two seasons with Troy, moving over Tulane where he has compiled a 15-6 record in the middle of his second campaign. Probably too big of a leap but nevertheless a name to keep an eye on.

Rhett Lashlee, SMU head coach: With a 33-14 record in three-plus seasons leading the Mustangs, Lashlee has overseen a strong transition from the American to the ACC that SMU bought its way into. The playoff berth and 8-0 league record last season was a tremendous accomplishment — Lashlee actually hasn’t lost a conference game since 2022 (18-0) — but it’s extremely tough to see the Mustangs pony up to buy their entire team into a conference and not pay Lashlee whatever he wants if another team comes calling. Plus, he does not exactly have a resume long on major wins, and the SEC would be a massive step up for his system. Arkansas makes far more sense should he leave SMU.