Every Florida coach—and by extension, every Gators athletic director—in recent history has the words of former AD Jeremy Foley hanging over their heads from the moment they step up to the podium in their first press conference in Gainesville, Fla.
“If something needs to be done eventually, it must be done immediately,” Foley said when firing Ron Zook midseason in 2004, reworking a Henry Kissinger quote with a similar point.
Though it did take an extra season in the minds of many Florida fans, that something finally was done on Sunday as the school fired Billy Napier. On paper, it was originally a hire that ticked a lot of boxes for the Gators: a former conference title winner at a Group of 5 school who learned under both Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney who had prior SEC experience.
In practice though, Napier never really got things together on the field. He never finished above .500 in the SEC, went 22–23 overall and, save for two upsets against LSU and Ole Miss last season, never reached any notable highs the fan base demanded.
Now the school is on the lookout for its fifth head coach since Urban Meyer left in 2010 and hoping they can make it past the magical fourth-year mark that none of the previous four ever came close to doing. This should still be the market-moving job which defines the 2025 coaching carousel given the location, access to talent, resources available and the Gators’ history. There’s also enough for some coaches to be wary of that could cause some top-tier candidates to look elsewhere. This is particularly true when it comes to alignment with the administration, considering there’s no school president and the person running the search is an athletic director making his third football hire and has a retirement date set in just a few years.
Here are 10 candidates who the Gators could target in what will be a fascinating search.
Jon Sumrall, Tulane head coach
Every opening in the SEC is going to target Sumrall. He has extensive knowledge of the league as a former player and coach, plus has the résumé as a head coach to earn a gig like this based on making a conference title game every year he’s been in charge of a program. The Green Wave have a chance to be a College Football Playoff team, which might complicate timing of a hire, but it could be a very easy search for Florida if he’s comfortable with the administration that’s currently in place.
Jedd Fisch, Washington head coach
Fisch was roommates with Howie Roseman and worked under Steve Spurrier in Gainesville, which are pretty unparalleled references when it comes to landing the job at his alma mater. He did excellent work at Arizona before going to Washington, where he could benefit from a big season in 2025 to further enhance his candidacy. If the Gators want to keep DJ Lagway in town, Fisch could be the offensive mind they turn to while also having the option to bring in Huskies QB Demond Williams Jr. as a package deal with the head coach if their current signal-caller departs.
Lane Kiffin, Mississippi head coach
If you asked the general Florida fan who might be atop their wish list, Kiffin will get brought up quite a bit. He’s a proven winner in the SEC at a number of spots and puts up the offensive numbers that will get the Swamp excited. His ability to recruit and work the transfer portal are good qualities to have in this modern environment, and he’s ready for another crack at an elite job after the past few years in Oxford, Miss.
James Franklin, former Penn State head coach
Franklin is familiar with the SEC from that time he won nine games at Vanderbilt (twice) and could be just the type of big-name hire who can end the recent revolving door at Florida. His recent firing from Penn State also leaves him plenty of time to field calls.
Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri head coach
The self-described alpha nerd has arguably had a much better program the last few years compared to what the Gators have fielded. He’s embraced the realities of NIL and modern roster-building techniques and benefits from his expertise as an offensive mind that likes to put up points.
Jeff Brohm, Louisville head coach
Brohm is extremely comfortable at his alma mater and is all but a made man around his hometown. But could the allure of a big-time SEC job that would allow him to truly compete for CFP berths and national titles tempt him to consider a change? He’s an excellent play-caller who recruits the state well and would be a no-brainer to call if he has any interest in leaving.
Rhett Lashlee, SMU head coach
Lashlee has made back-to-back conference title games and taken SMU to the CFP despite transitioning into a power conference. He’s got the right type of mentality and swagger that you need for a job like Florida, has SEC experience as an assistant and plenty of ties around the state from his time as Miami’s offensive coordinator.
Matt Campbell, Iowa State head coach
Based on some of the guys AD Scott Stricklin has hired in the past, Campbell seems right up his alley in terms of temperament and having a quality résumé at a smaller school. There’s a case to be made he’s the best coach in Cyclones history. He’s won a lot at a place where that’s not easy to do. He’s been in the mix for bigger jobs the last few years (including in the NFL) and might be just the type who can get Florida back on track quickly.
Alex Golesh, USF head coach
Florida is intimately familiar with Golesh considering he beat Napier head-to-head in early September. He’s got a high-flying offense, SEC experience and knows how to operate inside the state. There may be an aversion to hiring a Group of 5 coach from a regional rival by some connected to the school, but Golesh is ticketed for a bigger job this cycle.
Todd Monken, Ravens offensive coordinator
Though his age will work against him (he’ll turn 60 next year) at the college level, Monken is a potential head coach for both Power 4 openings and ones in the NFL. He’s done great work in Baltimore, helped Georgia win two national titles recently and understands better than most what it takes to turn around a program after leading Southern Miss a few years ago.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ten Candidates for Florida Football Coaching Search After Billy Napier Firing.