Halfway through the college football season, there have been a lot of head coaches who have already been fired. Coaches get fired every year, but the number that have been fired by mid-October is eye-opening.
James Franklin at Penn State headlines the firings after he was let go last Sunday, just one day after a 22-21 loss at home to Northwestern. It was the second straight loss, third overall, after they entered the game as a 20-plus point favorite.
There are going to be more coaches shown the door between now and the end of the season, which will create a crazy coaching carousel. Rumors are surrounding Florida Gators coach Billy Napier that he could be the next coach fired as soon as this weekend.
If Florida does indeed fire Napier, former Gators coach Steve Spurrier revealed who a successful candidate in Gainesville would be.
Steve Spurrier Endorses Rival SEC Coach at Florida
Again, Napier has yet to be fired, but it feels like it’s only a matter of time. There are rumors this week that it could happen after this weekend’s game against Mississippi State, win or lose. If it happens, Spurrier has his replacement in mind.
“Lane Kiffin would win a national championship at the University of Florida or, at a minimum, consistently be a contender every year,’’ Spurrier told ESPN.
If there is one coach who would listen to an offer from Florida and consider a move, it’s Kiffin. He has moved around the coaching ranks in college. He has coached at Tennessee, USC, Florida Atlantic, and currently at Ole Miss. In 14 years, he has amassed a 112-52 record, including 6-0 this year.
If Florida comes calling for Kiffin, you would think he listens. The school is in a better position than Ole Miss is in terms of resources and giving him what he needs to win. The chances of him winning a national championship are greater at Florida than it is at Ole Miss.
The next two games for fifth-ranked Ole Miss will play a large part in determining their College Football Playoff hopes. They visit ninth-ranked Georgia on Saturday and are 7.5 underdogs, then visit 14th-ranked Oklahoma next Saturday. This is a stretch that could determine Kiffin’s future in Oxford as he is making $9 million this year.
Billy Napier Still Has a Game to Coach, For Now
USA Today’s Matt Hayes reported that Napier’s seat is getting hotter by the day. He reported that the boosters, who have been patient with him, wanted “Napier to relinquish control of the offense and hire an experienced coordinator and play caller. He never did.” Now it could lead to his firing.
He spoke last week about the number of coaches already fired. He is currently 21-23 at Florida and an eye-opening 0-14 on the road against ranked teams after a 34-17 loss at Texas A&M last Saturday night.
“I don’t think anything’s changed,” Napier said. “I think it happens every year. It’s what we sign up for. They pay us. They compensate us well. So these are challenging jobs in today’s climate in particular. We’re all men. We’re all competitors. We understand we live in a production world and you got to produce. There’s no running from that.”
It does happen every year, but not to this degree halfway through the season. Napier is close to being the next coach fired, and if he is, Spurrier, who won 122 games as head coach at Florida, voiced his opinion on who athletic director Scott Stricklin should target next.
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