By Cole Pepper
With Billy Napier out as the head coach of the Florida Gators, the list of potential successors includes some expected names and several standouts.
The most commonly linked name to the Gators is Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. For a program that has enjoyed its best years when the head coach is passing-game proficient (Steve Spurrier, Urban Meyer, and the early years under Dan Mullen), Kiffin would be a logical fit. He is also brash and supremely confident. That plays well with Gator Nation.
The biggest hurdle may be the financial piece of the equation. Florida has to buy out Napier’s contract to the tune of $20 million. The school still owes Mullen $2 million, which is scheduled to be paid in equal installments over the next two years on July 15 each year.
Kiffin is under contract at Ole Miss through the end of 2030, and his contract, or a percentage of it, would have to be bought out to effectuate a move to Gainesville. Then there is the new contract itself, which would be substantial for any big name on the list.
Whoever becomes the next head coach at Florida, it’s likely to be a pricey proposition.
Kiffin is listed as the 2/1 favorite for the job by Sportsbetting.ag. Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm is just behind at 3/1.
Brohm is a Louisville native and an alumnus of the school. In three seasons at Louisville, he has guided the Cardinals to a pair of bowl games, with another bowl visit anticipated this season. His Cardinals are 5-1 this season, including an upset of Miami last week. A former quarterback, Brohm has guided three schools (Western Kentucky, Purdue and Louisville) to bowl games in nine of his previous 11 seasons as a head coach.
Recently fired Penn State head coach James Franklin is listed as 6/1 to be the Gators’ next head coach. Franklin was the head coach at Vanderbilt from 2011 to 2013, so he understands the SEC landscape. However, he gained a reputation for losing big games while at Penn State.
Some other candidates to consider:
— Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri head coach (7/1 odds). After a 12-1 season at Appalachian State, his first as a head coach, Drinkwitz departed for Missouri, where he has enjoyed some of the most success in the program’s history. The past two seasons, the Tigers won a combined 21 games. This season, Mizzou is 6-1 under Drinkwitz. He would already be acquainted with life in the SEC.
— Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame head coach (8/1 odds). In four full seasons as the head coach at Notre Dame, Freeman has guided the Irish to the postseason three times, and this year could mark a fourth. Last season, he led Notre Dame to the national championship game, earning him three national coach of the year honors.
— Urban Meyer, broadcaster (9/1 odds). The two-time winning national championship coach brought glory back to Gainesville. He also won a national title at Ohio State. His college coaching record is remarkable, 187-32. His NFL coaching record is on the other end of the spectrum. His 2-11 partial season as the Jaguars’ head coach is one of the worst coaching tenures in NFL history.
— Jedd Fisch, Washington head coach (10/1 odds). A Florida Alum, Fisch was a GA at Florida in 1999 and 2000. He spent time in the NFL, including as the offensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2013-14. He has a losing record as a head coach at UCLA, Arizona and Washington.
— Alex Golesh, USF head coach (12/1 odds). His Bulls handed Florida one of the most devastating losses in recent memory this season. After a pair of 7-win campaigns that included bowl wins, USF is 6-1 this season, Golesh’s third as a head coach.
— Jon Gruden, broadcaster (18/1 odds). This one is a bit of a reach. Still, Gruden, the former Super Bowl-winning coach, has said publicly that he would love coaching in the SEC. He has not coached college football since being a tight ends coach at Pacific in 1989, so there would likely be a learning curve for the former Raiders and Buccaneers head coach.
The post Who are the top candidates for the Florida Gators head coaching job? appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..
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