Florida Gives Billy Napier Vote of Confidence With Huge Buyout Looming

Florida gifted Billy Napier some job security.

Athletic director Scott Stricklin posted a statement Thursday morning supporting Napier, who has a 15–18 record coaching the Gators over the last three seasons. The team is currently 4–4 on the year and 2–3 in the SEC, most recently losing 34–20 on Saturday to rival Georgia, currently ranked No. 2 in the nation.

Stricklin referenced “times of change across college athletics,” and wants Napier at the helm as the landscape “evolves,” he wrote. “I am confident that Billy will meet the challenges and opportunities ahead. We will work alongside him to support any changes needed to elevate Gator football.”

The school is—at least temporarily—shutting down questions by placing trust in Napier, as midseason firings in college football and the NFL have skyrocketed in recent years. But it’s also a financial decision. If fired, Napier’s buyout would be more than $26 million, which would make it the second-largest buyout in college football history. His contract with Florida runs until Jan. 31, 2029, and he’s guaranteed 85% of the remaining amount on his deal if fired.

Florida has some of the highest revenues in all of college athletics, but a potential Napier buyout could be the least of their concerns. It’s possible that power conference schools will start paying athletes directly as early as next year as part of the House v. NCAA settlement, which outlined revenue-sharing payments of about $20 million every year—though it’s unclear how the money would be distributed among athletes. Still, that could factor into Florida’s decision not to pay Napier’s buyout in addition to the cost of hiring his replacement.

Florida fired Napier’s predecessor Dan Mullen, and at the time of his firing, owed him $12 million—half to be paid within a month, and the rest in installments until 2027. Mullen is now a college football analyst for ESPN.

Florida is in a similar boat to Baylor, where fans have clamored for the firing of coach Dave Aranda. After going 3–9, the school committed to keeping Aranda at the end of last season, when his buyout was more than $20 million. The Bears have improved to 5–4 this year. It’s been a similar script for Arkansas, which went 1–7 in the SEC last year, made a statement in support of coach Sam Pittman last November (avoiding a buyout of at least $16.1 million), and have so far gone 3–3 in the conference this year.

The Sun Belt’s Southern Miss didn’t follow that path, however. The Golden Eagles went 3–9 last season and posted their statement supporting coach Will Hall in late November. But after going 1–6, Southern Miss fired Hall on Oct. 20. His buyout was only $860,000.