Josh Pate breaks down Florida Gators’ next move after Billy Napier firing

After spending the past few seasons on the hot seat, the University of Florida parted ways with former head coach Billy Napier this past Sunday. Napier finishes his time leading the Florida Gators with a winning record under .500 after 45 games with the Gators. College football analyst Josh Pate spoke about the move on his Sunday’s episode of ‘Josh Pate’s College Football Show‘. He cited the unwillingness to give up play calling duties as the dagger that ultimately ended Napier’s career in Gainesville.

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“I follow Florida football very closely,” Pate said on Sunday. “so I knew what the number one gripe had been from folks around the program. Billy was always really good to us. He gave us a lot of access down there. I felt comfortable enough just to kind of say, ‘Hey, you giving up play calling’? [Napier said] ‘no’. [Pate asked], ‘why not? Why won’t you give up play calling’? He was honest, he said, ‘I beleive me calling plays gives us the best chance to win’. Now that did not end up being the case. It’s a classic, two things were true. Billy said what he believed and what Billy believed about the best interest of Florida football was wrong. It cost him his job.”

Billy Napier could never find consistent footing at Florida

The expectations for the Gators’ program were sky-high ahead of the 2025 season. Florida finished the 2024 season on a four-game winning streak and returned several players from that squad. Last season the team started slow. However, UF atheltic director, Scott Stricklin, annouced his backing of Napier midway through the season. It was clear that several people around the ahtletic department wanted Napier to succeed, but it never happened.

“For all the talk around Napier for several years down there now, there were people who thought it would eventually work,” said Pate. “I was one of them. I think I kind of hoped it would work. There was never that big stretch of games, there may have been individual one offs, but there was never that stretch of games where you said, he’s planted his flag, here it goes. What I always have to remind everyone, and myself, that this is not one of thsoe situations where a lot is being asked of a guy, who hasn’t been given what it takes to succeed.”

Josh Pate credited the Florida admin for the resources they devoted to the Napier regime. The program recieved a major facelift with the amount of investments allocted for staff size, nutrition, recovery and more after falling behind others in the SEC. Those investments will help make the job that much more attractive for Napier’s replacement. However, Pate also thought those factors made it that much more obvious to make a change.

“For that, the Florida job is a great job now,” Pate said of what those upgrades will do for the program. “Florida’s a destination program for anybody to work at. I’m mentioning that, not to sell Florida, they’ll sell it themselves, but to remind everyone, that’s why theres not much to say about them firing Billy Napier. He had everything. He asked for a lot, he was given a lot. A gigantic staff down there, and a really good one. To the point that when the new guy comes in there, if there will be some retention.”

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Josh Pate gives his opinion on UF’s chances to get Lane Kiffin

With the Florida job now open, it become 1 of 11 programs looking for a new coach. Though Florida’s job has only been open for a little over 24 hours, there’s been an immidete favorite among the fanbase. That replacement is the no-brainer candidate according to Pate.

“I think their search begins and ends with Lane Kiffin,” Pate said on his show. “Said that earlier today. I don’t think that’s breaking news. That’s being widely speculated, if not outright reported. I had some people come at me and say, ‘Why would Lane leave Ole Miss?’ I don’t know that he will. They continued, ‘Who says Florida’s a better job than Ole Miss?’ Well, I would say it’s a better job than Ole Miss, but I wouldn’t say it’s a slam dunk.”

Pate does have some quesitons as Florida goes through their coaching search regarding the openess Kiffin would have to start over at another program.

“I said last year that if that job came open, I thought Lane would crawl over broken glass to get it. I did feel that last year, but I don’t feel that as strongly this year. Although, I would still make him the favorite to be offered and accept the Florida job. But by no means do I think that’s a slam dunk. I’ve asked around. I haven’t asked Lane, because I don’t ask guys about job-related things during the season, but I’ve asked around. Just to gauge the temperature. In fact, I’ve asked a lot of agents about this. I asked them, ‘Do you think in his heart of hearts, he 100% has an answer to that question right now?’ Some of them have said yes, others have said no.

So it’s very much a wait-and-see,” Pate added. “But I think that’s a Lane Kiffin job. Don’t overthink the room on that. Then if he says no, you adjust. The Florida job, I’m just telling you, is very coveted. There are a lot of guys who are probably thought to be secure in their current locations, that if offered the Florida job would have to think about taking the Florida job.”