Replacement candidates for Billy?

[78]

Urban is not coming back. You can forget that spasm.

 

[gatormandan]

Urban is not coming back. You can forget that spasm.

You are right but I would still ask.

 

[jdh5484]

Napier gets 4 years minimum.

Federal?

Max security?

 

[TN G8tr]

Urban is not coming back. You can forget that spasm.

If Stickdick is ever canned, I would definitely be calling to see if he'd take AD.

 

[Okeechobee Joe]

I like old school Billy Napier and I hope he succeeds here. I really hope he does. It seems that even though the fanbase is disgusted with his play calling and lack of motivational fire on the sidelines, he still has a lot of fans who still like him as a person. Being a few steps above being what I would consider to be a casual fan, I don't feel I'm ready to jump up and down and call Billy "a stupid fuchsing pu55y".

Given all that, just because Billy Napier might not succeed at Florida doesn't mean the guy doesn't know football. He did well at Louisiana. He might do well at some ACC type schools or some blue collar SEC schools like Auburn or Mississippi State. But at a school like Florida you need to have some sort of edginess to your personality and your team like Steve Spurrier or Urban Meyer.

I said in another post that Napier reminds me of Gator alum Doug Dickey who by the way had a very knowledgeable football mind who had great success in the 1960s at Tennessee but could not translate that success to the 1970s at Florida. I can still hear the echos of Carlos Alvarez and Fred Abbott down the halls of Gator history talking about how playing in Dickey's system made them feel like robots. And that is how Napier's players seem -- like robots in a system with no fire and passion. They look good and disciplined their traditional uniforms when they line up but they commit stupid penalties that kill drives and keep getting punched in the mouth across the line of scrimmage.

I'll tell you the offensive minded coach who I think fits the Florida mindset and has the edginess that Florida fans seem to like, but I know you will hate me for it, and that is ole Lane Kiffin. I mean the guy even wears a visor and can really get under the skin of the opposition. He even did that to our fanbase during his one year at Tennessee when he said he looked forward to beating Florida and singing Rocky Top all night. Maybe the several years he has had at Ole Miss has washed some of the bad taste out of our mouths from Tennessee.

Back after we just hired Jim McElwain I started a new thread with the heading "Why hire Jim McElwain when you could hire Lane Kiffin". I got blasted and ridiculed for that one including the several calling for me to be banned from this board. I took that as a badge of honor and do so more now in hindsight.

 

[Back Alley Gator]

I like old school Billy Napier and I hope he succeeds here. I really hope he does. It seems that even though the fanbase is disgusted with his play calling and lack of motivational fire on the sidelines, he still has a lot of fans who still like him as a person. Being a few steps above being what I would consider to be a casual fan, I don't feel I'm ready to jump up and down and call Billy "a stupid fuchsing pu55y".

Given all that, just because Billy Napier might not succeed at Florida doesn't mean the guy doesn't know football. He did well at Louisiana. He might do well at some ACC type schools or some blue collar SEC schools like Auburn or Mississippi State. But at a school like Florida you need to have some sort of edginess to your personality and your team like Steve Spurrier or Urban Meyer.

I said in another post that Napier reminds me of Gator alum Doug Dickey who by the way had a very knowledgeable football mind who had great success in the 1960s at Tennessee but could not translate that success to the 1970s at Florida. I can still hear the echos of Carlos Alvarez and Fred Abbott down the halls of Gator history talking about how playing in Dickey's system made them feel like robots. And that is how Napier's players seem -- like robots in a system with no fire and passion. They look good and disciplined their traditional uniforms when they line up but they commit stupid penalties that kill drives and keep getting punched in the mouth across the line of scrimmage.

I'll tell you the offensive minded coach who I think fits the Florida mindset and has the edginess that Florida fans seem to like, but I know you will hate me for it, and that is ole Lane Kiffin. I mean the guy even wears a visor and can really get under the skin of the opposition. He even did that to our fanbase during his one year at Tennessee when he said he looked forward to beating Florida and singing Rocky Top all night. Maybe the several years he has had at Ole Miss has washed some of the bad taste out of our mouths from Tennessee.

Back after we just hired Jim McElwain I started a new thread with the heading "Why hire Jim McElwain when you could hire Lane Kiffin". I got blasted and ridiculed for that one including the several calling for me to be banned from this board. I took that as a badge of honor and do so more now in hindsight.

 

[OcalaGator83]

I know it's unlikely Billy gets fired this season because of his stupid buyout. I think it's more likely that he gets fired next season if he doesn't turn it around. Whose your pick for a replacement coach? My number one choice is Urban Meyer. Whose your choice?
The way we have been burned in recent years I would take a proven commodity as my number one option instead of a young up and coming coach, which is a risk.

Proven coaches list:
Urban Meyer- Unlikely because he said he is done with coaching, but you never know with Urban. Make him say no. His competitive fire will not allow his last coaching job to be the Jax disaster.
Bob Stoops- Maybe the 10th time is the charm? Extremely unlikely.
Chris Petersen- Extremely unlikely
Luke Fickell- He has a low buyout and Wisconsin isn't a great job. Would he leave his native midwest to come to the South East? Maybe there is a chance. He has been really successful.
Matt Rhule- I think he would easily leave Nebraska for us. He is a realistic proven option.

The next tier:
Kalen Deboer- He is the top young up and coming coaches along with Mike Elko. He has won at all 3 of his stops and he has Washington looking very good. He is 16-2 at Washington so far. 95-11 career record.
Mike Elko- I think he is one of the best up and coming coaches. He is really good, but his experience is lacking
Lane Kiffin- Great on offense. He would need to be paired with a great DC.
Mike Stoops- He has done a great job at KY, but the concern is that he might be a SEC east version of Dan Mullen. I think he is better than Mullen, but i am not sure how high his ceiling is.
Deion Sanders- He is very unproven and a risky. Our recruiting would be legendary and he does delegate and allow his staff do their jobs.

What, no Terry Bowden on that list?

 

[Zambo]

Holy crap, an Okeechobee Joe sighting!

Yes Kiffin makes sense. IMO he overachieves in Mississippi, a state with as many people as Dade county. Still I’d love to see an up and comer like Brian Johnson who has ties to the program already.

 

[Fun N' Stun]

First, we should have hired Freeze instead of Billy. Second, Ox may faint, but hell yes, call Urban, even if he's only around for 4 years before burning out again. I'd rather we hire Art Briles than Sanders or Kiffin.

Hugh freeze was my number one choice back in 2014, 2017, and 2021. Unfortunately, our admin are pathetic losers and now that he has a good job at AU he won't leave to come here.

 

[Pablos Tunnel]

I like old school Billy Napier and I hope he succeeds here. I really hope he does. It seems that even though the fanbase is disgusted with his play calling and lack of motivational fire on the sidelines, he still has a lot of fans who still like him as a person. Being a few steps above being what I would consider to be a casual fan, I don't feel I'm ready to jump up and down and call Billy "a stupid fuchsing pu55y".

Given all that, just because Billy Napier might not succeed at Florida doesn't mean the guy doesn't know football. He did well at Louisiana. He might do well at some ACC type schools or some blue collar SEC schools like Auburn or Mississippi State. But at a school like Florida you need to have some sort of edginess to your personality and your team like Steve Spurrier or Urban Meyer.

I said in another post that Napier reminds me of Gator alum Doug Dickey who by the way had a very knowledgeable football mind who had great success in the 1960s at Tennessee but could not translate that success to the 1970s at Florida. I can still hear the echos of Carlos Alvarez and Fred Abbott down the halls of Gator history talking about how playing in Dickey's system made them feel like robots. And that is how Napier's players seem -- like robots in a system with no fire and passion. They look good and disciplined their traditional uniforms when they line up but they commit stupid penalties that kill drives and keep getting punched in the mouth across the line of scrimmage.

I'll tell you the offensive minded coach who I think fits the Florida mindset and has the edginess that Florida fans seem to like, but I know you will hate me for it, and that is ole Lane Kiffin. I mean the guy even wears a visor and can really get under the skin of the opposition. He even did that to our fanbase during his one year at Tennessee when he said he looked forward to beating Florida and singing Rocky Top all night. Maybe the several years he has had at Ole Miss has washed some of the bad taste out of our mouths from Tennessee.

Back after we just hired Jim McElwain I started a new thread with the heading "Why hire Jim McElwain when you could hire Lane Kiffin". I got blasted and ridiculed for that one including the several calling for me to be banned from this board. I took that as a badge of honor and do so more now in hindsight.

Napier and his scheme are not what today’s players desire. These kids want substance and sizzle. The really good “dawgs” will not come here. We are plain vanilla with no sprinkles. Everything about the Program currently is tired and bland. Napier may be a good man with a solid football mind but he lacks an edge and any real leadership. There just seems to be no fire in his belly.

Ask yourself this. If your son was a 4 or 5 star player, and you are not a Gator family, would UF be on your short list? If your answer is yes then please, please tell is why.

 

[Durty South Swamp]

Napier and his scheme are not what today’s players desire. These kids want substance and sizzle. The really good “dawgs” will not come here. We are plain vanilla with no sprinkles. Everything about the Program currently is tired and bland. Napier may be a good man with a solid football mind but he lacks an edge and any real leadership. There just seems to be no fire in his belly.

Ask yourself this. If your son was a 4 or 5 star player, and you are not a Gator family, would UF be on your short list? If your answer is yes then please, please tell is why.

I am a gator and I still wouldn't encourage my son to play football for them if he was offered. Poor development, poor program MGMT, coaching carousels comprised of guys that either shouldn't be anywhere above d2 programs or worse, shouldn't even be around kids period. And working hard only to get your ass kicked and be embarrassed week in and week out. Hard pass.

 

[Silverback Gator]

Napier and his scheme are not what today’s players desire. These kids want substance and sizzle. The really good “dawgs” will not come here. We are plain vanilla with no sprinkles. Everything about the Program currently is tired and bland. Napier may be a good man with a solid football mind but he lacks an edge and any real leadership. There just seems to be no fire in his belly.

Ask yourself this. If your son was a 4 or 5 star player, and you are not a Gator family, would UF be on your short list? If your answer is yes then please, please tell is why.

Spot on, really.

 

[gator1946]

I think college football has changed so much in the last few years that the nature of a successful coach has changed as well. I'm not sure that the new breed can be identified yet. Elements of the new breed will include the handling of recruiting, NIL, and personnel, as well as the right combination of new and old time coaching. Those of us who are old timers will probably not be able to recognize these new guys. We'd probably try to find the next Saban, Swinney, Meyer, or Kelly. I have a feeling that is not what will work anymore.

For that reason I hope Napier hangs in there for four years. He will either become one of the new breed, or someone in the ADs office, hopefully an new guy, will be able to identify a new up and comer. Note that someone new and innovative in the ADs office is almost certainly a requirement.

 

[SECund2nun]

The more i read about Kalen Deboer the more I like.

 

[Durty South Swamp]

I think college football has changed so much in the last few years that the nature of a successful coach has changed as well. I'm not sure that the new breed can be identified yet. Elements of the new breed will include the handling of recruiting, NIL, and personnel, as well as the right combination of new and old time coaching. Those of us who are old timers will probably not be able to recognize these new guys. We'd probably try to find the next Saban, Swinney, Meyer, or Kelly. I have a feeling that is not what will work anymore.

For that reason I hope Napier hangs in there for four years. He will either become one of the new breed, or someone in the ADs office, hopefully an new guy, will be able to identify a new up and comer. Note that someone new and innovative in the ADs office is almost certainly a requirement.

So now you want another 2 years at minimum and if he still sucks you want him elevated to a upper level position and involved in who the next guy is? You make some embarrassing posts but this might be the worst.

 

[stephenPE]

Valiant effort bro but you’re talking to a guy that wanted to keep Muschump . Your words while correct while fall on deaf Stephen ears

I found the meme for some of our guys in here..........if being a HBC was an exact science it would not pay so well........and those in here that pretend it is just (a+b+c) times D squared = excellence are just jerking on the keyboard.......

 

[Double Gator Dad]

I am shocked they even had 4 other candidates who met the criteria that Fooley laid out. I remember that windbag talking about the list of criteria the new AD had to have. I am surprised they found one. Every time I saw that smug POS when I lived up there I just wish I could have vomitted all over him. He is to this day the biggest dypshyt and single handedly destroyed the pillar.

The scariest part is the number of people, especially here in Gainesville, that still seem to believe that Jeremy Foley is the father of UF athletics greatness and that any and all decisions must be made with him involved.
I am hoping that none of these morons have any influence but I wonder.

 

[soflagator]

The scariest part is the number of people, especially here in Gainesville, that still seem to believe that Jeremy Foley is the father of UF athletics greatness and that any and all decisions must be made with him involved.
I am hoping that none of these morons have any influence but I wonder.

At the game last year where they were honoring him(Usf I think) a guy behind me had a grandson with him who asked he was. The guy points to the north end zone part of the stadium and said, “he’s responsible for all of that”. The expansion that began and was completed before he was AD.

I’ve said before, I have nothing against him personally, and he’s actually done my family some favors. For that, I am grateful. But in terms of business, he has not made good choices when it comes to the football program and is almost directly responsible for the rise or resurrection of Ala, fsu and uga. And at this point, his continued influence is only damaging things even further. It’s really that cut and dry. All eras come to an end and his should’ve been 2013 at the latest.

 

[MidwestChomp]

Urban Meyer- Unlikely because he said he is done with coaching, but you never know with Urban. Make him say no. His competitive fire will not allow his last coaching job to be the Jax disaster.
Bob Stoops- Maybe the 10th time is the charm? Extremely unlikely.
Chris Petersen- Extremely unlikely
Luke Fickell- He has a low buyout and Wisconsin isn't a great job. Would he leave his native midwest to come to the South East? Maybe there is a chance. He has been really successful.
Matt Rhule- I think he would easily leave Nebraska for us. He is a realistic proven option.

 

[GatorJB]

You realize everything we complained about with Muschamp, then McElwain, then Mullen have all turned out to be absolutely correct, right? There’s been articles written after the fact detailing those missteps and how they ultimately led to their demise. Everyone here, and practically everywhere, called them well before they came to fruition. And where are all these guys now? Killing it elsewhere, proving us all wrong?

Those same people have been supportive of much of what Napier has done here, yet have said since day one that he needs an OC, QB coach and STs coach. The national media is saying the same thing. Palmer himself(does he have any cred in your eyes?) openly questioned the 2 point try when we lined up for it. At some point, we have to stop with the whole “keyboard coaches” thing. It’s tired and has been proven to be false. And it’s not because we’re just so smart. It’s that the decisions that we’re questioning are just that dumb.

This is spot on and where Billy can distance himself from his last 3 predecessors, to not just save his job but also be successful here. The last 3 coaches had glaring issues that they refused to correct after the second year. All three of them had roster/recruiting mismanagement issues and poor assistant hires, but also there were embarrassing off the field issues, poor attitude, and other factors that were pulling down the program besides just wins and losses. Because they doubled-down on their mistakes and had too big of egos to recognize them, there were few short-term solutions to the problems they created.

Because Billy has done a good job January through mid-August, he has a better foundation to work with for a faster turnaround. Not all of this team's problems can be solved mid-season, but some can so they can at least get a winning season. Where Billy can make the biggest turnaround for the future is what he does between year 2 and 3. Will he double-down on his mistakes like the previous 3? Or will he make the structural changes needed (i.e., new OC, different playcaller, special teams coach, etc.)? If he makes those changes for next year, then he could have a long career here. If not, then we likely have a new coach in 2025.

I know people assume he will stubbornly double-down cause that's what the other 3 did, but Billy strikes me as a more humble person that isn't fueled by ego. I'm not predicting that he'll make those large changes, but I also think it's too soon to write him off right now.