Florida AD Scott Stricklin releases statement on firing of Billy Napier

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin has released a statement of the firing of UF coach Billy Napier. Stricklin parted ways with Napier on Sunday following a 22-23 record in three and a half seasons at UF.

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Here what’s Scott Stricklin said on letting Napier go.

“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.

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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.”

Scott Stricklin searching for a new coach

Napier is the third Florida coach to be fired by Stricklin, who also canned Jim McElwain in 2017 and Dan Mullen in 2021. Mullen coached under Stricklin when he was the AD at Mississippi State, his alma mater, from 2010-16.

After his pursuit fell through of Chip Kelly, who the UCLA job instead, Stricklin hired Mullen away from the Bulldogs and brought him back to Gainesville, where he was the Gators offensive coordinator from 2005-08.

Mullen posted a 34-15 record at Florida from 2018-21, leading the program to three straight New Year’s Six bowls and the SEC Championship Game. But he went 2-9 in his last 11 games against power conference teams.

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Napier was significantly worse than McElwain and Mullen, both of whom made it to Atlanta. The former Louisiana coach started his UF tenure with two straight losing seasons before a breakthrough year in 2024 and an 8-5 record.

Following a 55-0 win in the 2025 opener, Napier dropped three games in a row to fall back under .500 at UF. He snapped the skid by beating No. 9 Texas but then fell at No. 5 Texas A&M, Florida’s third road loss against a top-five team.

Scott Stricklin now sets out to hire his third football coach in nine years. Florida has fired four coaches since 2014 and will conduct another search for the fifth time in 15 years.