Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
By Matt Moscona
Florida fired head coach Billy Napier Sunday, one day after the Gators beat Mississippi State to move to 3-4 on the season. Billy Gonzales will serve as the intermin head coach for the remainder of the season.
Change in Leadership for Florida Football.https://t.co/4vC93BERtS
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) October 19, 2025
Napier finishes his time in Gainesville with a 22-23 overall record and 12-16 in the SEC. Reports last week indicated boosters pressuring athletic director Scott Stricklin to make a change.
A consistent feature in “hot seat” conversations, Napier appeared to find solid footing after a four game winning streak to finish the 2024 season. The early season struggles, including a loss to South Florida, proved to be too much to overcome.
The Gators enter their open date before facing Georgia on Nov. 1.
Statement from Athletic Director Scott Stricklin:
Today I met with Coach Napier and informed him that a change in leadership of our football program would best serve the interests of the University of Florida.
On behalf of Gator Nation, I want to sincerely thank Billy and his family for their tireless commitment to the Florida Gators. Billy built a tremendous culture of accountability and growth among the young men he led each day. His organized and detailed approach had a meaningful impact across all levels of our program.
As Coach Napier has often said, this is a results-driven business, and while his influence was positive, it ultimately did not translate into the level of success we expect on the field.
I have named Billy Gonzales as the interim head coach. Coach Gonzales has been a valued member of our program for many years, including being a part of multiple championship teams. He is a Gator through and through. His deep understanding of our culture, our student-athletes, and what it means to represent the University of Florida makes him well-suited to lead our team.
Making this decision during the open date provides our team valuable time to regroup, refocus, and prepare for the challenges ahead. The timing also allows us to conduct a thoughtful, thorough, and well-informed search for our next head coach. We remain fully committed to utilizing every resource available to identify the right leader to guide Gators Football into the future.
I will conduct the search with a high degree of confidentiality to protect the privacy of those involved. The search will focus on the hiring of an elite football coach who will embody the standard we have at the University of Florida, and we will continue to provide all of the necessary resources for that coach, his staff and the players to be successful.
Any time you conduct a head coaching search, especially for a high-profile sport like football or men’s basketball, you learn something. The lessons from past experiences will guide us through the work ahead.
Across the University of Florida, there is an unwavering and uncompromising commitment to being the best in everything we do. This includes our athletic department, as evidenced by the fact UF is the only school in the country to win three national championships in both football and men’s basketball.
The standards and expectations for Gators football are to win championships—not simply to compete. We exist to win, and will not settle for less. UF has never been more invested in the success of this football program – elite facilities, robust NIL opportunities and comprehensive support for our student athletes and staff – than we are today.
The University of Florida is a destination – a place where people come to achieve excellence. With our resources, passionate fan base, and unwavering commitment, we are determined to return Gators football to championship form. I understand and accept the responsibility to deliver a football program that reflects the greatness of this university and I thank Gator Nation for their continued support as we begin this next chapter together.
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