Top 5 coaches linked to Florida job after Gators fire Billy Napier ft. Lane Kiffin

Florida officially fired embattled head coach Billy Napier on Sunday after posting an underwhelming 22-23 record during his three-and-a-half-year tenure with the Gators.

Napier was given a great send-off by his players, with Florida winning over Mississippi State 23-21 to end his stint at 3-4 (2-2 in the SEC).

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin named receivers coach Billy Gonzales as interim head coach while the school is venturing on an exhaustive search to find the best coach for the vacancy.

With this in mind, here are the top five head coaches who are linked to the Florida coaching race:

Top 5 coaches linked to Florida job after Gators fire Billy Napier

#5. Joe Sumrall

Joe Sumrall has led Troy and Tulane in three Bowl games in his first three seasons as head coach. The former Kentucky linebacker has held position coaching duties for San Diego, Tulane, Troy, Ole Miss and Kentucky before he was chosen to lead the Trojans (2022-23) and Green Wave (2024-present).

The 43-year-old Texarkana, Texas, native is 38-10 in three-and-a-half years as chief tactician and Tulane is in contention for another American Conference title stint this season.

Sumrall's rise could be likened to Billy Napier's ascent into coaching relevancy when he led Louisiana to a 40-12 record in 2018-21 before securing the Florida job in 2022.

#4. James Franklin

Former Penn State coach James Franklin was fired after Week 7 due to the Nittany Lions' 3-3 start, which was exacerbated by losses against lower-ranked Big 10 teams UCLA and Northwestern.

But before the 2025 season, Franklin led Penn State to six seasons with more than 10 wins and was 104-45 in 11 1/2 seasons in University Park.

Franklin had prior SEC experience with Vanderbilt, guiding the team to a 24-15 record and two Bowl game wins.

#3. Jedd Fisch

Washington coach Jed Fisch had Florida connections, having graduated in Florida in 1998. Fisch, who was also roommates with current Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman in college, worked with former champion coach Steve Spurrier as a graduate assistant coach in 1999-2000.

The Livingston, New Jersey, native had position coaching/coordinator stints with various NFL teams, including Houston, Baltimore, Denver and New England, as well as NCAA teams Minnesota, Miami, Michigan and UCLA.

Fisch had his big break in 2021 when he was hired as head coach of Arizona. He led the Wildcats to the Alamo Bowl in 2023 before Washington signed him up during the 2024 offseason.

He had prior coaching experience as a defensive coordinator for P. K. Developmental Research School in 1997-98 while studying in Gainesville.

#2. Eli Drinkwitz

Eli Drinkwitz stormed into college football consciousness when he led Appalachian State to a 12-1 stint that earned the team a Sun Belt Conference title in 2019. He left for Missouri before the 2019 New Orleans Bowl and he guided the Tigers to a 44-25 record in his six seasons as head coach.

The 42-year-old Norman, Oklahoma, native led Missouri to two-straight 10-win seasons in 2023 (11-2) and 2024 (10-3) and is on pace to secure another 10-win season barring any injuries to its roster.

Drinkwitz has guided Penn State transfer quarterback Beau Pribula to a solid stint this season, as the 6-foot-2 senior has passed for 1,617 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

#1. Lane Kiffin

Lane Kiffin has arguably been one of the best quarterback developers in the sport, as evidenced by his transformation of second-choice quarterback Trinidad Chambliss to an elite signal-caller in the 2025 college football season.

Working with Pete Carroll and Nick Saban at USC and Alabama, as well as vast experience with NFL and BCS teams, had Kiffin well-prepared for the coaching gigs at Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss. He also developed the playcalling abilities of current New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart during his four-year stint at Ole Miss.

Lane Kiffin can help Florida QB DJ Lagway in finding the correct passing spots if he gets the Gators next season.