- Billy Napier was fired as the head coach of the Florida Gators on Sunday.
- Rival Florida State claimed they would wait until after the season to decide on Mike Norvell’s future.
- Will Norvell actually get to finish the season?
The Florida Gators fired head football coach Billy Napier on Sunday, while their rivals at Florida State are waiting until after the season to decide on Mike Norvell’s future.
Will the Seminoles actually give Norvell to the end of the season?
Napier Fired for Not Winning Championships, Says Florida AD
The Gators made the move on Sunday following a 23-21 win over Mississippi State.
On Monday, Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said:
"We want people who can win championships at the University of Florida. That's going to be our goal. We want somebody who can come in here and be a strong leader and win championships."
Napier didn’t come close in three-plus seasons at Florida, going 22-23, and 12-16 in the brutal SEC. The Gators had high hopes for Napier after he was successful at Louisiana, going 40-12 in four seasons. However, Napier found out that coaching in the SEC is much different than in the Sun Belt Conference. The Gators fell way down the college football championship odds weeks ago.
Napier’s downfall was the offense, where he was the primary playcaller. Quarterback DJ Lagway is banged up, but the Gators are 67th in passing yards, 101st in rushing yards, and tied for 104th in points scored. If it weren’t for a solid defense, Napier may have been fired by now.
One of Florida’s rivals, Florida State, has decided to give their coach, Mike Norvell, until the end of the season. But will Norvell actually get there?
Will Mike Norvell Overcome the Odds and Survive the Season?
The Seminoles are 3-4 after a 20-13 loss to a Stanford team that is also not good. But they’re reportedly going to give Norvell to the end of the season.
BetUS isn’t so confident in Norvell staying on until then. He is second to only Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell in the odds for the next college football coach to be fired. The Seminoles got off to a great start, beating Alabama in their season opener. However, they’ve lost four in a row in conference play, although all four losses have come by eight games or fewer.
Therefore, it doesn’t look good for Norvell, who is 36-31 at Florida State, but 20-24 in ACC play. They had a 13-1 season in 2023, but have gone 5-14 since and have lost nine straight conference games. There isn’t one game remaining on the schedule that Florida State should absolutely win, especially if they can’t beat Stanford.
It would actually be fitting if Norvell makes it to the season finale at Florida, and he could be fired, win or lose. It’s going to be a very crucial offseason for these two storied programs in a new landscape where it’s win or bust. Keep an eye on those BetUS odds of Norvell getting fired each week!
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