Lousisana’s Billy Napier is expected to be the next head coach of the Florida Gators.
According to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman and Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel, the school is on the verge of closing a deal to make Napier Florida’s next head man.
SOURCES: Louisiana’s Billy Napier is expected to become the next head coach at UF. A deal is likely to be done this afternoon. As we reported yesterday morning he was the Gators clear front runner. Napier had been patient in recent years l looking for the right opportunity.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) November 28, 2021
“Louisiana’s Billy Napier is expected to become the next head coach at UF,” Feldman tweeted.
“A deal is likely to be done this afternoon. As we reported yesterday morning he was the Gators clear front runner. Napier had been patient in recent years looking for the right opportunity.”
Feldman continued, “It’s never easy to predict which coach hires are going to work out but the work Billy Napier has done on so many levels in building the program at Louisiana has been very impressive.”
BREAKING: Florida is expected to hire Billy Napier as their next Head Coach, per @BruceFeldmanCFB pic.twitter.com/0nWL49zkeE
— PFF College Football (@PFF_College) November 28, 2021
At Louisiana, Napier established himself as one of the top up-and-coming stars in the coaching industry.
As a branch from both the Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney coaching trees, Napier took over the Ragin’ Cajuns and quickly led them to three straight double-digit win seasons.
On top of his 39-12 record, Napier’s recruiting connections thanks to stints at Alabama, Clemson, and Florida State make him the man Florida feels they need to get their program back on track.
News of Napier’s impending hiring reverberated across the college football landscape.
Billy Napier played his cards perfectly. None of the openings he's turned down in the past were close to the quality of Florida. That's a program where you can win national titles.
And on the other side, the Gators get their top choice and a rising star in CFB. #Cajuns https://t.co/vluFoWNznL
— Seth Lewis (@SethLewisInc) November 28, 2021
“Billy Napier played his cards perfectly,” a local reporter said. “None of the openings he’s turned down in the past were close to the quality of Florida. That’s a program where you can win national titles.”
I really hope Billy Napier can be the guy for Florida
— Jamaica (@JamaicaRob24) November 28, 2021
“I really hope Billy Napier can be the guy for Florida,” a fan reacted.
WELCOME TO THE SWAMP BILLY!!!!
— ty ++** 🌵🌵 (@perkkyyy_) November 28, 2021
“WELCOME TO THE SWAMP BILLY!!!!” another fan reacted.
Fans can only hope Napier can return Florida to the glory days of the Urban Meyer years in the mid-2000s.