Upon further review, Florida is making a bona fide offer to Lane Kiffin, with sources putting an actual number down. By CARLTON REESE GatorBaitMedia.com Forgive me while I crawl out from beyond the grid where I have been hibernating the past several days. The old saying goes that “you miss a day, and you miss a lot” is certainly true for someone who kept his phone and computer at home while camping in the wild.   Upon re-entering the so-called “grid” and its purported “civilization” I find the states of Mississippi and Florida virtually on fire over the recent report in GatorBait detailing sources claiming a bona fide offer is being made to Lane Kiffin through his agent Jimmy Sexton. Is this not the story we have believed would be coming down the pike?   Now I’m reading all the consternation regarding what amounts to seemingly inconsequential details regarding the duration of contracts allowed in the state of Mississippi and its role in Florida’s leverage in any negotiations in the matter. The original story with Franz Beard’s byline notes only the existence of such a cap, known as Section 96 of the Mississippi Constitution which limits the length of contracts for public employees (including coaches at state universities); the story makes no claim that such provisions can be lawyered out or structured privately, which they can and certainly have in this instance.   As someone coming out of his information vacuum and looking at all this from a dispassionate 30,000 feet, I cannot believe the fervor regarding this red herring aspect of the story; in fact, this is not even the story. I entered the daylight to read the real story: the University of Florida is making a bona fide offer to Lane Kiffin, with sources putting an actual number down: $13.6 million per year for six years.   More angst, mainly from Ole Miss people who are calling BS on the story mainly because of the line regarding Section 96, has sent a lot of arrows the way of GatorBait and particularly the venerable Buddy Martin. Make no mistake, though, this is about sources within the University of Florida, Ole Miss, the SEC, athletic boosters, etc. and whether or not one is to trust them. In that sense, this is more about trusting the journalists at GatorBait than it is about trusting a particular source. In this respect, my full confidence is with those journalists whose sources are and always have rested on the rock of credibility.   So, I’d like to recap in an effort clear the fog but also bring myself up to speed on the actual journalism sans the internet noise. What we have based on the recent story is simply a move beyond all the hope, talk and speculation that Lane Kiffin becomes the next head coach of the University of Florida football team. We have progressed to the point where we now know that the power brokers within Gator Nation have actually drawn up numbers on a contract for Kiffin and his agent to ponder. This is no small thing – it is a huge first step in a process that for now looks to end with Kiffin in Gainesville while offers are NOT being made to Eli Drinkwitz, James Franklin, Alex Golesh, et al.   Reporting what a credible source close to the situation is claiming is the obligation of any news outlet and no one should be apologizing. The basement trolls have had their knives out for GatorBait, and Buddy Martin in particular, claiming the story to be nothing more than “clickbait.” Such terms are used to undermine the integrity of the author and usually come from those who egregiously lack said integrity themselves.   Perhaps reading about UF making an offer to Kiffin seems premature at this stage of the process and making it public is of little service to that process; nonetheless, it is the truth. This is the big leagues, folks, and like it or not Gator fans want to stay up to speed on this process and that’s exactly what they will be – informed.   Over the years, GatorBait has evolved in its mission. These days, the art of the sports columnist has been revived in its digital pages, but that does not mean journalism has been set aside. For one, I am profoundly excited to read such journalism grounded with inside sources the way this game used to work. How all this ends up may or may not be the conclusion of this particular arc, but it is an arc nonetheless, and I for one am paying attention.

Six years, $13.5 million per year. All guaranteed.   According to a well placed source with a history of accurate information, that is what it will take for the University of Florida to land Lane Kiffin’s signature on a contract that will make him the head football coach of the Gators starting as soon as the Ole Miss season comes to an end.   Per the source, Ole Miss would love to go higher but at $11.2 million per year for four years (state law on the years), Ole Miss money people including the Grove Collective have reached their maximum. “Ole Miss just can’t take the hit, they’re tapped out,” said the source, who noted that the Ole Miss athletic department will run a deficit for the third consecutive year, expected to be in the neighborhood of $12 million this fiscal year.   Three years ago, Ole Miss planned an aggressive stadium renovation and athletic facilities upgrades, but those were put on hold to pump money into coaches salaries and NIL. They need the stadium upgrades, but the money has to go into NIL to be able to compete with the rest of the Southeastern Conference.   Because the state of Mississippi has the smallest population of any state in the Southeastern Conference, there are fewer 4- and 5-star football prospects, necessitating Kiffin spending large amounts of money on NIL to lure transfer and keep the players he has.   Kiffin has long held the Florida Gators in high esteem. His dad (former Tampa Bay Bucs’ legendary defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin) was a longtime Spurrier admirer and Kiffin’s late father-in-law was Florida legendary quarterback John Reaves. Reaves also played quarterback for Spurrier with the Tampa Bay Bucs and served as a Spurrier assistant both at Florida and South Carolina.  Kiffin has always worn a visor to show his respect for Spurrier, whose Fun ‘n Gun offense has had serious influence on the way he (Kiffin) calls plays.   Kiffin’s offense at Ole Miss has never averaged fewer than 33.5 points and 462 yards per game since becoming the head coach in 2020. Billy Napier’s best offense at Florida (starting 2022) averaged 424 yards and 29.5 points. Every year of the Napier regime, the Gators averaged fewer yards and points per game. Currently, Ole Miss averages 37.4 points and 491.4 yards per game. Florida, meanwhile, is averaging 22.4 points and 363 yards per game. Kiffin’s run at Ole Miss (111-53) is the second best in school history. He has won 10 or more games in three of the last four years. Kiffin owns the only 11-win season in Ole Miss history and three of the school's seasons with 10 or more wins. The Rebels are currently ranked No. 8 nationally at 6-1 heading into Saturday’s road trip to Oklahoma. Hall of Fame coach Johnny Vaught compiled a 190-61-12 record with six SEC championships and three national championships. Vaught never won an SEC after 1963, the last year of single platoon football. From 1947-63 Ole Miss went 137-32-9, the second best record in all of college football. From 1964 until Kiffin became the head coach in 2020, Ole Miss went 339-303-7, the 48 th best record in all of college football.   Kiffin has brought about a revival of Ole Miss football, but he hasn’t won the SEC or made the playoff. Given the limited resources and the way he has had to construct rosters through the portal, Kiffin’s record is quite remarkable. Our Gator Bait source, himself a former SEC football assistant, says Kiffin is capable of winning national championships with the resources and recruiting footprint of the Florida Gators.   So what is it going to take for Florida to land Kiffin?   “A call from the Head Ball Coach might seal the deal for Kiffin,” our source said.

Todd Golden might not come right out and say it, but all the attention given to Florida football with its coaching change and speculation about Lane Kiffin leaving Ole Miss to come coach the Gators has been a welcome distraction. Instead of speculating whether or not Golden’s basketball Gators can repeat as NCAA champs, the focus has been on football and Kiffin. Golden has been able to quietly prep the 3 rd -ranked Gators for a season opener in Las Vegas November 3 against 13 th -ranked Arizona.   Despite the attention given to football, the large target on the back of Florida basketball isn’t going away. It is always there for an NCAA champ because repeat championships are so hard to achieve. Golden knows the history of NCAA basketball champions and how few teams have gone back-to-back. Since UCLA pulled off its astounding seven straight titles, a streak ended by North Carolina State in 1974, a repeat championship has been accomplished only three times – Duke 1991-92; Florida 2006-07; and UConn 2023-24.   The pressure is very real for the Gators, a task is made difficult by the loss of arguably the best backcourt in the country. Walter Clayton Jr. (18.3 points per game), Alijah Martin (14.4) and Will Richard (13.3) have all moved on to the NBA. Their contributions went far beyond scoring. The Gators had the best chemistry of any team in the country as evidenced by the 6-game run to the national championship. The Gators had to come from behind to win four of the games including the erasure of a 12-point deficit to Houston in the national championship game.   Finding the right team chemistry will be a necessity for Golden if the Gators are to make a serious run at a repeat title. He likes what he’s seen so far but knows the Gators have yet to overcome any obstacles.     “There's been no adversity for this team, like we haven't lost any tough games,” Golden said just prior to the official opening of practice. “We haven't had to deal with any injuries. So it's easy right now, because we haven't had to go through any of that for us to all get along with each other and everybody to be putting the team first. But once we deal with a little bit of that, I think we'll be … the way we react to that will be the key. But right now, I think this team has a chance to be really tight. We have really good guys. We have mature guys, and I think similar to last year, our personnel and kind of the roles that we have for specific guys fits pretty well where everybody should be able to, you know, have success with what we're trying to do.”   Team chemistry will begin with the four big guys who return from the national championship team. Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu started last year with Tommy Haugh coming off the bench. When injuries struck in early February, Micah Handlogten burned his redshirt to ensure enough depth in the frontcourt. Without his contributions, Golden says the Gators couldn’t have won the national title.   Condon and Chinyelu have benefitted from offseason workouts. They are bigger and stronger, ready to assume their roles in the paint. Haugh, who blossomed in the tournament, will move to the wing which means Golden will go with what was once the traditional lineup of three big guys and two guards. Handlogten is fully recovered from the serious leg fracture in the SEC Tournament championship game in 2024. He was sufficiently recovered in February that he was willing to burn his redshirt. He’s a solid 7-1 who has added plenty of muscle to his now 265-pound frame.   The Gators have the best and most experienced frontcourt in the nation. With Haugh versatile enough to play the wing or both high or low post positions, Golden has plenty of options to force opponents to play his style, not the other way around.   The final pieces of the starting lineup puzzle will come from transfers Xaivian Lee (from Princeton) and Boogie Fland (from Arkansas). They bring firepower that will help offset the losses of Clayton, Martin and Richard, but they are equally adept at getting teammates involved. At Princeton, Lee averaged 16.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. Fland averaged 13.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists at Arkansas.   Last season, the Gators were No. 2 in offensive efficiency per kenpom.com . They were big yet they played fast. This year, Golden has a team that will be bigger, have more depth and will still play fast. Perhaps even faster. If they can do a better job of limiting turnovers, the Gators should be lethal offensively.   “We want to play as many possessions in transition as possible,” Golden said. “So if we can find a way to play five percent more of our possessions in transition, I think that would really help us be able to make up for some of that lost efficiency. And I keep going back to the ball handling. We haven't done nearly enough job yet taking care of the ball. But Boogie had a great assist-to-turnover ratio last year. Xaivian was fantastic, and Tommy and those guys are great for front court players in terms of taking care of it. So I think collectively, as we continue to get comfortable playing together that should be an area that - I think we're 73rd I think we're 73rd in America in turnover rate last year. My goal is to be top 25 that way with this year's teams."   Last season, the Gators played eight guys down the stretch. That’s an ideal rotation, but this year the Gators have the most depth of any Florida team since the one that made it all the way to the 2000 NCAA championship game against Michigan State. There is an extra big guy in Viktor Mikic to add to the frontcourt. In the backcourt, Golden has Urban Klavzar, the Brown brothers (Isaiah and Ohio U transfer AJ), and freshmen Alex Lloyd and CJ Ingram.   That is 12 talented players. Some might say too much depth, but if Golden can manipulate the minutes to keep everybody fresh and energized, the Gators will have a team capable of duplicating the 2006-07 Florida teams that went back-to-back.   “On a macro level our goal is to win again, but with this team specifically we’re not talking a lot about repeating, but we are talking about doing everything we can to play deep into March,” Golden said.   THE ROSTER Big Guys: Micah Handlogten (7-1, 260, SR); Rueben Chinyelu (6-10, 265, JR); Tommy Haugh (6-9, 215, JR); Alex Condon (6-11, 236, JR); Viktor Mikic (6-11, 260, SO); Olivier Rioux (7-9, 305, RFR)   Perimeter Guys: Xaivian Lee (6-4, 180, SR); AJ Brown (6-4, 210, RJR); Cooper Josefsberg (6-4, 195, JR); Urban Klavzar (6-1, 190, JR);  Alex Kovatchev (6-5, 195, RSO); Boogie Fland (6-3, 185, SO); Isaiah Brown (6-4, 210, SO);  Alex Lloyd (6-3, 180, FR);  CJ Ingram (6-6, 205, FR)     COACHES TOP 25: 1. Purdue; 2. Houston; 3. FLORIDA; 4. UConn; 5. Duke; 6. St. John’s; 7. Michigan; 8. BYU; 9. Kentucky; 10. Louisville; 11. Texas Tech; 12. UCLA; 13. Arizona; 14. Illinois; 15. Arkansas; 16. Alabama; 17. Tennessee; 18. Iowa State; 19. Kansas; 20. Gonzaga; 21. Michigan State; 22. Auburn; 23. Creighton; 24. Wisconsin; 25. North Carolina   ASSOCIATED PRESS PRESEASON TOP 25: 1. Purdue; 2. Houston; 3. FLORIDA; 4. UConn; 5. St. John’s; 6. Duke; 7. Michigan; 8. BYU; 9. Kentucky; 10. Texas Tech; 11. Louisville; 12. UCLA; 13. Arizona; 14. Arkansas; 15. Alabama; 16. Iowa State; 17. Illinois; 18. Tennessee; 19. Kansas; 20. Auburn; 21. Gonzaga; 22. Michigan State; 23. Creighton; 24. Wisconsin; 25. North Carolina   ESPN PRESEASON TOP 25: 1. Purdue; 2. FLORIDA; 3. Houston; 4. UConn; 5. St. John’s; 6. Louisville; 7. BYU; 8. Michigan; 9. Kentucky; 10. Duke; 11. Texas Tech; 12. Arkansas; 13. Arizona; 14. UCLA; 15. Iowa State; 16. Illinois; 17. Auburn; 18. Tennessee; 19. Alabama; 20. Gonzaga; 21. Wisconsin; 22. Kansas; 23. Creighton; 24. North Carolina State; 25. North Carolina   LINDY’S PRESEASON TOP 25: 1. Houston; 2. Purdue; 3. FLORIDA; 4. Michigan; 5. Duke; 6. Kentucky; 7. St. John’s; 8. Iowa State; 9. Alabama; 10. UConn; 11. Texas Tech; 12. BYU; 13. Tennessee;14. Louisville; 15. Arizona; 16. UCLA; 17. Oregon; 18. Arkansas; 19. Creighton; 20. Auburn; 21. Kansas; 22. Gonzaga; 23. Illinois; 24. Ole Miss; 25. Michigan State   ASSOCIATED PRESS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA First team: Braden Smith, Purdue; JT Toppin, Texas Tech; Yaxel Lendenborg, Michigan; AJ Dybantsa, BYU; Alex Condon, FLORIDA   JAY BILAS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA First team: Braden Smith, Purdue; PJ Haggerty, Kansas State; Donovan Dent, UCLA; JT Toppin, Texas Tech; Yaxel Lendenborg, Michigan   Second team: AJ Dybantsa, BYU; Darren Peterson, Kansas; Cameron Boozer, Duke; Otegah Oweh, Kentucky; Nate Ament, Kentucky   Third team: Darrion Williams, North Carolina State; Emanuel Sharp, Houston; Alex Condon, FLORIDA; Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue; Tahaad Petiford, Auburn   LINDY’s PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA First team: Braden Smith, Purdue; Darryn Peterson, Kansas; Yaxel Lendenborg, Michigan; Cameron Boozer, Duke; JT Toppin, Texas Tech   Second team: Donovan Dent, UCLA; PJ Haggerty, Kansas State; AJ Dybantsa, BYU; Darrion Williams, North Carolina State; Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s   Third team: Boogie Fland, FLORIDA; Bennett Stirtz, Iowa; Alex Karaban, UConn; Alex Condon, FLORIDA; Graham Ike, Gonzaga   JOE LUNARDI BRACKETOLOGY: GATORS NO. 1 SEED IN EAST Apparently there is no time like the present to project the NCAA Tournament field. Joe Lunardi of ESPN has the Florida Gators the No. 1 seed in the East, beginning their quest for a second straight NCAA championship in Tampa. The Gators are one of 11 SEC teams in Lunardi’s brackets, tied with the Big Ten for the most teams in the tournament. It should be noted that the Southeastern Conference has won four NCAA championships (Florida 3, Kentucky 1) since 2006, seven since 1994 (Florida 3, Kentucky 3, Arkansas 1). The Big Ten, despite all the hype, hasn’t won an NCAA championship since Michigan State in 2000 and just two (Michigan State 1, Michigan 1) since 1989.   SEC teams in Lunardi’s brackets: No. 1: Florida (East) No. 2: Kentucky (West) No. 3: Tennessee (Midwest) No. 5: Arkansas (East); Alabama (Midwest) No. 6: Auburn (South) No. 8: Missouri (South); Texas (West) No. 9: Mississippi State (East); Vanderbilt (Midwest) No. 10: Ole Miss (East)   SEC COACHES PRESEASON RANKINGS 1. FLORIDA; 2. Kentucky; 3. Alabama; 4. Tennessee; 5. Arkansas; 6. Auburn; 7. Missouri; 8. Ole Miss; 9. Mississippi State; 10. Texas; 11. Oklahoma; 12. Texas A&M; 13. Vanderbilt; 14. Georgia; 15. LSU; 16. South Carolina   SEC COACHES PRESEASON ALL-SEC First team: Otega Oweh, Kentucky; Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State; Nate Ament, Tennessee; Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn; Alex Condon, FLORIDA   Second team: Labaron Philon, Alabama; Boogie Fland, FLORIDA; Keyshawn Hall, Auburn; Malik Dia, Ole Miss; Tommy Haugh, FLORIDA   LINDY’S SEC PRESEASON RANKINGS 1. FLORIDA; 2. Kentucky; 3. Alabama; 4. Tennessee; 5. Arkansas; 6. Auburn; 7. Ole Miss; 8. Texas; 9. Oklahoma; 10. Mississippi State; 11. Vanderbilt; 12. Missouri; 13. Texas A&M; 14. Georgia; 15. LSU; 16. South Carolina   LINDY’S PRESEASON ALL-SEC First team: Darien Acuff, Arkansas; Boogie Fland, FLORIDA; Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State; Nate Ament, Tennessee; Alex Condon, FLORIDA   Second team: Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Tennessee; Aden Holloway, Alabama; Labaron Philon, Alabama; Otega Oweh, Kentucky; Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn   Third team: Jalaand Lowe, Kentucky; Dedan Thomas Jr., LSU; Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky; Malik Dia, Ole Miss; Mackenzie Mgbako, Texas A&M

(Photo by Chris Spears) The first order of business for interim head coach Billy Gonzales was to delegate authority for the Florida offense. Billy Napier served as his own play caller and offensive coordinator but with Napier gone, Gonzales has had to shuffle responsibilities starting with who will be calling the plays and who will be chiefly responsible for the game plan.   Ryan O’Hara, who has been the quarterbacks coach, will be in the booth calling the plays when the Gators take the field against Georgia a week from Saturday. Tight ends coach Russ Callaway will be the offensive coordinator and the chief architect of the game plan.   Both O’Hara and Callaway will be in the booth during games.   “They’ll be sitting up there,” Gonzales said. “They’ll have a chance to converse in between series … Coach Russ Callaway will continue to oversee the offense as offensive coordinator, as he has all season long, while Ryan O’Hara will call the plays from the booth, allowing him to be next to coach Callaway.”   On the SEC Coaches Teleconference Wednesday, Gonzales also indicated that support staffer Steve Spurrier Jr. will take an active role in the offense, particularly working with O’Hara and the quarterbacks. Spurrier coached O’Hara at Arizona back in 2004. He served as the wide receivers coach for Bob Stoops when Oklahoma won the national championship in 2000 and was the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at Tulsa prior to coming to Florida.   “Coach Steve Spurrier Jr. will take more of an active role working on the field with the quarterbacks, and will also be involved with gameday management,” Gonzales said. “That allows us to move Coach O’Hara upstairs and then have somebody that’s been communicating, been in the locker room, been on the video iPad with DJ (Lagway) throughout the season anyways. They’ve got that relationship. When you start talking about communication with the quarterback, it’s all about, in my opinion, having that same voice over and over.    “And it’s going to be the same voice that Coach Spurrier is going to be relaying, and it’s going to be the same voice that he’s heard in the meetings with Coach O’Hara. It should be very fluid, and I think it’s going to help us. Coach Spurrier has got a wealth of knowledge. So, he’ll be on the ground, and in between series, he’ll be the voice that gets to talk and sit down with DJ and the quarterbacks and review the film. … Adding Coach Spurrier down below just gives us another opportunity to do that. So, I think it’s a win-win situation for us.”   Offensive line coach Rob Sale and running backs coach Jabar Juluke will work together to help game plan the running game. With Gonzales taking on head coach responsibility, Chad Lucas, David Doeker and Eric Kiesau will be taking on more day to day coaching of the wide receivers. Ron Roberts will continue to coordinate the defense.       SEC FOOTBALL No. 4 Alabama (6-1, 4-0 SEC): QB Ty Simpson has thrown only one interception all season. Saturday he will be going up against the SEC’s No. 4 pass defense at South Carolina. The Gamecocks are giving up only 186 passing yards per game and they’ve picked off eight opponent passes. Saturday: at South Carolina (3-4, 1-4 SEC)   Arkansas (2-5, 0-3 SEC): It has been three games since the Arkansas defense forced a turnover. The Hogs have the No. 4 offense in the country but their defense is No. 126. Arkansas has lost five straight games. Saturday: Auburn (3-4, 0-4 SEC)   Auburn (3-4, 0-4 SEC): Amid calls for Hugh Freeze to pull the plans to redshirt stud freshman QB Deuce Knight, Freeze plans to start Jackson Arnold once again against Arkansas. Saturday: at Arkansas (2-5, 0-3 SEC)   No. 5 Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC): Junior receiver Colbie Young (23-336, 1 TD) fractured his ankle in the win over Ole Miss and is out for an indefinite period of time.   Kentucky (2-4, 0-4 SEC): There are questions about a call that impacted the outcome in overtime against Texas. QB Cutter Boley was ruled inches short of what would have been a game-winning touchdown. HBC Mark Stoops said, “Inches. His head was across. The ball was probably in his chest. I’m not saying it’s a bad call but I mean it was either in or inches [short].” Saturday: No. 17 Tennessee (5-2, 2-2 SEC)   No. 20 LSU (5-2, 2-2 SEC): Every game from here on out is a must win for LSU if the Tigers intend to make the College Football Playoff. With two losses, the Tigers can’t afford a third. This is season four for head coach Brian Kelly who still hasn’t taken a team to the playoff. Saturday: No. 3 Texas A&M (7-0, 4-0 SEC)   Mississippi State (4-3, 0-3 SEC): Mississippi State fans are still questioning the “missed” field goal by Kyle Ferrie against Florida. Florida fans behind the goal posts were shocked when Ferrie’s X-yard field goal in the second quarter was ruled no good . Saturday: Texas (5-2, 2-1 SEC)   No. 15 Missouri (6-1, 2-1 SEC): Missouri’s defense, which ranks No. 5 nationally, will have to stop Vandy QB Diego Pavia in what is considered a playoff elimination game. Pavia has thrown for 1,539 yards and 15 touchdowns while running for 438 and four more. Saturday: at No. 10 Vanderbilt (6-1, 2-1 SEC)   No. 13 Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1 SEC): The Sooners have the nation’s No. 1 offense, but in three SEC games, they have yet to gain more than 319 yards. Saturday: No. 8 Ole Miss (6-1, 3-1 SEC)   No. 8 Ole Miss (6-1, 3-1 SEC): Despite being the highest ranked team, Ole Miss is a 2.5-point underdog at Oklahoma … If Austin Simmons is fit and ready to play, will Lane Kiffin start him at quarterback, keep him on the bench or use him and Trinidad Chambliss in a two-QB system? Saturday: at No. 13 Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1 SEC)   South Carolina (3-4, 1-4 SEC): South Carolina has to find a way to protect QB LaNorris Sellers if the Gamecocks are to get bowl eligible. The Gamecocks have allowed 26 sacks, which is next to last in the nation. When Sellers has time to throw, he’s averaging 8.2 yards per attempt. Saturday: No. 4 Alabama (6-1, 4-0 SEC)   No. 17 Tennessee (5-2, 2-2 SEC): Despite a neck injury suffered in the loss to Alabama, QB Joey Aguilar has been declared ready to go for Saturday’s road game at Kentucky. Saturday: at Kentucky (2-5   No. 22 Texas (5-2, 2-1 SEC): Safety Michael Taafe, who had surgery on his thumb Monday, will miss games with Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. Taafe is expected to be back in time for the Longhorns’ game at Georgia. Saturday: at Mississippi State (4-3, 0-3 SEC)   No. 3 Texas A&M (7-0, 4-0 SEC): The Aggies hope to take advantage of an LSU run defense that has gotten progressively worse the last three games. After allowing fewer than 100 yards in each of their first four games, the Tigers have allowed a combined 598 in their last three including 239 against Vanderbilt. Saturday: at No. 20 LSU (5-2, 2-2 SEC)   No. 10 Vanderbilt (6-1, 2-1 SEC): For the second straight week, Vanderbilt is favored (by 2.5 points) over a top 25 opponent. This is history in the making … Vanderbilt is also bowl eligible for the second straight year. Saturday: No. 15 Missouri (6-1, 2-1 SEC)   COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF BIDS BY CONFERENCE ACC: The ACC gets one bid for its conference champ and is hoping to get a second. Right now Georgia Tech (7-0, 4-0 ACC) is in the driver’s seat. Louisville (5-1, 2-1 ACC) beat Miami when the Hurricanes were No. 2 nationally. Four of the last six are at home. Miami (5-1, 1-1 ACC) has potential speed bumps in road trips to SMU (5-2, 2-1 ACC) and Pittsburgh (5-2, 2-1 ACC). Pitt can also spoil Georgia Tech’s hopes for an unbeaten season. Prediction: Georgia Tech and Louisville play for the ACC title. If the two emerge from the game with one or fewer losses, they’ll both get in. A one-loss ACC champ and Miami if the Hurricanes run the table the rest of the way.   Big Ten: About the only thing standing in the way of Ohio State (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) finishing the regular season unbeaten is Michigan. Indiana (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) is right there with the Buckeyes, but the Hoosiers don’t have to play Indiana. Oregon (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) should skate in unbeaten the rest of the way. Southern Cal (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten), Iowa (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten), Washington (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) and Illinois (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) all have work to do. Prediction: Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon.   Big XII: BYU (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) has to survive roadies with Texas Tech (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) and Cincinnati (6-1, 4-0 Big 12). Texas Tech’s only serious challenge should be BYU. Cincinnati still has to play Utah (5-2, 2-2 Big 12), BYU and TCU (5-2, 2-2 Big 12). Arizona State (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) could finish 10-2 and in the playoff picture. Prediction: BYU and Texas Tech will make it.   SEC: It’s a jungle out there! Texas A&M (7-0, 4-0) is at the top of the league but the Aggies have a habit of late season fold. They have to play LSU (5-2, 2-2 SEC), Missouri (6-1, 2-1 SEC) and arch-nemesis Texas (5-2, 2-1 SEC) on the road. Alabama (6-1, 4-0 SEC) has LSU and Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1 SEC) at home. Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC) has a fairly easy path to 11-1 if it can get by Georgia Tech in the regular season finale. If Ole Miss (6-1, 3-1 SEC) beats Oklahoma this weekend, the Rebels could finish 11-1 in the regular season. Oklahoma has the most difficult path since the schedule is Ole Miss, Tennessee (5-2, 2-2 SEC), Alabama, Missouri and LSU still to play. Missouri has to play Vanderbilt (6-1, 2-1 SEC), Texas A&M and Oklahoma. Watch out for Vandy. If the Commdores beat Mizzou this weekend they only have Texas and Tennessee standing in the way. Prediction: Alabama, Georgia and Ole Miss will get in. If a fourth team gets in, watch out for Vanderbilt. Yes, you read that right.   Notre Dame: The only thing standing in the way of a 10-2 finish for the Irish are dates with Navy and a roadie to Pittsburgh. Prediction: Notre Dame is in at 10-2.   Group of Five: South Florida (6-1, 3-0 American) is the highest ranked team in the Group of Five (No. 18). If the Bulls can beat Memphis (6-1, 2-1 American) on the road this week, their chances of making the playoff are greatly enhanced. Also in the American, Navy (6-0, 4-0 American) and Tulane (6-1, 3-0 American) will be heard from in the stretch run.   In the Mountain West, UNLV (6-1, 2-1 MWC) lost its first game last week but still could factor in the race to be the Group of Five rep by going 5-0 the rest of the way then winning the conference championship game. Over in the Sun Belt, James Madison (6-1, 4-0 SBC) is a longshot but with five winnable games has a chance to be the highest ranked Group of Five team.

Kevin O’Sullivan, who has taken the Florida baseball team to the College World Series nine times, winning the NCAA championship in 2017, has taken a leave of absence, effective immediately. In a statement released Wednesday, O’Sullivan said, “I appreciate the support of the University and athletic department. I have some personal and family issues that need my full attention at this time.”   In response, Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin released this statement: “Coach O’Sullivan has our full support as he takes the time he needs to focus on personal matters. We appreciate his openness in communicating this decision and respect his need for privacy.   Assistant coach Chuck Jeroloman will oversee the baseball program on a day-to-day basis until O’Sullivan returns.   O’Sullivan is the winningest baseball coach in Florida history with a 756-371 career record that includes one NCAA championship, two College World Series runners-up, six Southeastern Conference championships, two SEC Tournament championships, nine NCAA Super Regional championships and 10 NCAA regional championships.   From 2015-18 O’Sullivan took the Gators to four consecutive appearances in the College World Series.   During his coaching career at Florida, 116 Gators have been drafted by Major League Baseball and a nation-leading 41 have advanced to the big leagues. Fourteen Gators have been drafted in the first round, most recently Jac Caglianone (2024), who made his Major League debut with the Kansas City Royals during the summer.

If he looks grim, this was Billy's last press conference. (Chris Spears photo)

(Photo by Chris Spears) Thoughts from an eventful Monday: Even before the 2025 season began, Billy Napier sealed his own fate. It happened in what athletic director Scott Stricklin described Monday as “hours” of conversations about the need for Napier to give up play calling to focus on the duties of being the head football coach at the University of Florida.   "I shared with him that I thought that his strength may be in leading the program and overseeing the bigger picture," Stricklin said. "But at the end of the day, my philosophy is, you hire head coaches – as athletic directors, you hire head coaches – you give them authority to make decisions on how they want to run their program, and you hold them accountable to that."   There are reports that Napier did reach out to Ole Miss offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., but when Weis elected to stay put, there were no further discussions with anyone else. Napier remained the play caller and up until the very end, was defiant in his decision to maintain the status quo, often stating that he, better than anyone else, knew what the offense was capable of, therefore it was better for him to call the plays. It was thought that Florida’s offense would be dynamic this season due to the return of quarterback DJ Lagway, running backs Jadan Baugh and Ja’Kobi Jackson, and a covey of wide receivers with great speed.   The offense should have been explosive, but it is ranked 13 th among the 16 SEC teams (92 nd nationally) at 363 yards per game. The injury to Lagway was a setback, but the biggest problems were predictability and inconsistency. The play calls rarely fooled anybody and made it seem as if Napier was playing not to lose rather than playing to win.   His adamant refusal to take his thumb off the offense ultimately got Napier fired. He should have listened to his athletic director. Scott Stricklin wasn’t trying to turn his head coach into a puppet, but he was offering a lifeline.   Had Napier reached out to take the lifeline, he might still be Florida’s head coach.   MORE FROM SCOTT STRICKLIN "My sense is we will have a wide variety of candidates," Stricklin suggested. "We want people who can win championships at the University of Florida. That's going to be our goal. We want somebody who can come in here, be a strong leader and win championships. And, like I said, there's probably people from a lot of different backgrounds that could have the potential to do that.   "It is tricky. There are three current coaches in college football who have won national championships. So unless one of those three decided that they want to come and we think they're the right fit, we're going to have to be making a projection somewhere along the line. Sometimes you find that person. And we've had instances here where we've brought people in. My guess is most of the coaches have won national titles at the University of Florida across various sports. I don't know this for a fact, but my guess is the first time they ever won one won was at the University of Florida. We need somebody to come join that list."    INTERIM HEAD COACH BILLY GONZALES SAID IT “ I love Florida. You all know I love Florida. This is a special place to me. My daughter was born here 20 years ago. I've been here with three different head coaches. Won two National Championships. I've seen what it can do -- not just the University of Florida football, but Mr. Stricklin talked about the academics. You talk about all the other athletic programs around here. It's a special place. “A goal of mine would be obviously be able to stay here. My first goal is to make sure we put a fantastic group of players on that football field that are going to compete and play for the University of Florida. “I told these guys yesterday -- it's really important that I tell my room this -- when you're in my room, the wide receivers, I always talk about you play for the patch. And that means a lot to me. It means a lot to our players. “I had a long talk with Brandon Spikes this past year. We went back. It is, you play for the patch. And I think that's the most important thing. The players, we play for the patch. You represent your name on the back of your jersey. “I think when you put them together, I think you get something special.” STEVE SPURRIER SAID IT On the “Another Dooley Noted” podcast, Steve Spurrier said, “Coaches, they’re as good as their record, and unfortunately Billy’s record wasn’t all that good. In four years, not just this year. Our management, our AD and president, whoever, thought it was time to go ahead and make a change.”   PAUL FINEBAUM SAID IT “It should have been done at the end of last year, but Napier won a couple of games so AD Scott Stricklin went all-in on him. But, he was never the right choice. That was obvious early on. They struggled. They hung with him. Nice guy, everybody loved him – but he could not win big games or enough big games.”   DJ LAGWAY SAID IT “Yeah, I’ll just say my whole thing is to keep the guys together. We got to go finish strong these five games. I'm going to play my heart out. I'm going to continue to get better each and every day, and my guys are going to do the same thing. That’s our goal.”   JAKE SLAUGHTER SAID IT "I think change is part of life. I would say that there's that happens with change, especially one like this, it comes with changing coaching. It does a lot, and I think that we're going to lean on each other in the locker room. We're going to lean on each other in the coaches that take care of us now. We're ultimately going to work to make each other proud and play our best ball."   MYLES GRAHAM SAID IT “I'm living out my dream honestly, despite the circumstances everything that's going on, I'm still living out my dream. This is what I prayed for, and I'm extremely excited to keep fighting with my guys. I give them five more opportunities to play the game I love and with my brothers. So that means a lot to me.”    NAMES YOU’RE GOING TO HEAR DURING THE COACH SEARCH Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss: Ole Miss boosters want to raise Lane from the $9.2 million he’s making now to $11.2 million with a rollover on his contract. That means Florida is going to have to be pro-active, perhaps to the point of making a Godfather offer. If Ole Miss is willing to pay $11.2 then Florida has to be willing to pay $12.2 or $13.2. That is a huge commitment of financial resources at a time that the stadium will be undergoing renovation, but this is a coach who can restore Florida football to the highest levels. If he can win 10 or more games consistently at Ole Miss, he can certainly do that well or better at Florida with the many resources he will have at his fingertips. Nobody knows, understands or manipulates the portal as well, so that makes Kiffin the coach Florida has to do everything within its power to land.   Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri: Like Napier, he got his start in the Sun Belt, but unlike Napier, he has won and with far less in terms of money, facilities and support. He has a legitimate chance to post a third straight season with at least 10 wins. His offense is ranked 10 th nationally and his defense 5 th .  He signed an extension that pays him more than $9 million and has him contracted to Mizzou until 20230.   Jed Fisch, Washington: He is a Florida grad who was a student assistant for Steve Spurrier. He’s a buddy and former roommate of Philadelphia Eagles VP/GM Howie Roseman, another Florida grad. He rebuilt Arizona when it was a disaster, taking the program to a 10-3 record in year three. At Washington, he went 6-7 in year one and has the Huskies 5-1. Very bright offensive mind who runs a similar offense to the one Spurrier ran at Florida. Washington pays him $7.7 million.   Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame: He is being mentioned by a lot of network types, but the question that should be asked is why leave Notre Dame? He has already played for a national championship, has plenty of resources at his disposal and the Notre Dame brand can get him into any door in the country. People who know him closely say the only job he would leave Notre Dame for is Ohio State, his alma mater. Freeman was a linebacker for the Buckeyes and was the leading tackler when the Gators beat Ohio State in the 2006 national championship game. He’s paid $7.5 million at Notre Dame.   Rhett Lashley, SMU: The gozillionaires who write the big checks at SMooz say they’ll spend whatever is necessary to keep him in Dallas. They need to put their money where their mouths are since he’s only making $3.5 million. He’s a bright offensive mind. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand he’s got an easier path to the College Football Playoff going through the ACC than he would in the SEC. He’s also one of the favorites to be the next coach at Arkansas.   Jeff Brohm, Louisville: Pete Thamel of ESPN suggests Brohm could be a candidate. He is a former Louisville QB, who played for Howie Schnellenberger. He’s 89-53 as a college head coach at Western Kentucky, Purdue and now Louisville where he is in his third season. Why would he leave Louisville, which is his alma mater? Plus it’s an easier path to the playoff through the ACC than it is in the SEC. He makes $5.5 million.   Alex Golesh, South Florida: Yes, he’s from a group of five program, but he’s a hot property. He knows the Southeastern Conference from his time at Tennessee with Josh Heupel. His South Florida offense ranks No. 1 in the American Conference and 13 th nationally. The Bulls average 476 yards per game. That’s 113 more per game than the Gators, who he beat in game two. He took over a bad situation at USF, has taken the Bulls to two straight bowl games and has them on the cusp of making the College Football Playoff. He’s paid $2.5 million.

Michai Boireau waives bye-bye after his game-saving interception. (Chris Spears Photo)

By Carlton Reese GatorBait Media Well, we’ve tried the nickel slots and the penny slots and not much luck there. I suppose it’s time to move to a new machine, perhaps the quarter slots this time and hope we hit the jackpot. So it seems with college football programs all trying to hit on the perfect coach that will lead their team the promised land of championship glory. No one knows which candidate will be the next “Michealangelo” as Dick Vitale used to call any coach at the top of his profession, and it all seems just a stroke of luck as to which school lands the right person for the job. So now, with Florida handing Billy Napier his pink slip, it’s time for the University of Florida to start pumping coins into another one-armed bandit and hope three bars land on that center line. That’s exactly what it feels like: pulling the lever and hoping for those bars, hitting on a soft 17 and hoping a 4 is dealt, or letting it all ride on black 33. Ron Zook was young and energetic, a great recruiter who was loved by his players – let’s play that machine! Must have been a cold one, so let’s try this Urban Meyer fellow. Jackpot! Two national titles. Will Muschamp looks like a promising game – just busted. Jim McElwain, the “quarterback whisperer” – now that’s playing with house money! Busted. Dan Mullen has some nice pretty lights flashing – a few good payouts, but that machine went cold so let’s go to another. Enter Billy Napier, who won’t dress up as Darth Vader and whose wife won’t make out with the players – seems like a safe bet. Well, as far as slot machines go, Napier never produced a payout, so now we’re looking for a new game. That’s’ all this is, an exercise in playing enough hands until we’re finally dealt a straight flush. A pair of 5s? Fold. New hand, please. Three queens? Not bad, but let’s go for the really big score shall we? New hand, please. It will never end. Why are some programs great and others not? It could be money, especially these days where great recruiting is simply offering a big check – facilities schmilities, culture schmulture, tradition schmadition – show me the money. What makes a great program generally boils down to two things and all the pieces seem to fall in place soon after: the right coach and the right quarterback, and no one knows for certain who fits the bill until it has already happened. Remember Chip Kelly? He guided Oregon in its best days and was the next “evil genius” of college football. When he returned to the college ranks from an embarrassing stint in the NFL, the team that landed Kelly was certain to have won the lottery. That was UCLA and Kelly set that program back to the dark ages. Remember Kirby Smart? He’d never been a head coach in his life and Georgia took him mainly because he was one of their own. Did anyone believe he would be the next Nick Saban? Well, here we are nine years later and they’re about to carve his image on the side of Stone Mountain. How about Clark Lea? He’d never been a head coach in his life before Vanderbilt handed the keys to its jalopy over to him.  No one unrelated to Lea ever considered he would be anything more than the next batch of sausage ground up in that graveyard of coaches, and for three years he seemed poised to be another in a line of nameless former Vandy head coaches. Today, his name is on everyone's lips as the next rising star, which may have as much to do with his quarterback, Diego Pavia, as anything else. Remember a guy named Todd Golden? He was no one’s fair-haired boy when he came to UF, but now he’s bagged a natty. We hoped it would work and, son of gun, it has. We pulled the Golden lever and the tokens came flying out non-stop. It looks like a smart hire, but really, wasn’t it as much luck that he has turned out to be so good? So where does this leave the University of Florida? In the present time, it leaves the Gators conceding its most important game of the year, which comes in two weeks against Georgia. Georgia is not dominant and certainly beatable against the talent Florida will put on the field, but does anyone think the Bulldogs could ever lose in a million years to a team that is trotting out an interim coach to manage his first game? Firing a coach midseason is akin to a baseball team dealing its star pitcher for three top prospects at the trading deadline. It means the team is not trying to win any more games and hoping there is a long-term payoff. That’s right, a gamble. Some might argue that Florida’s best chance of beating Georgia, or anyone else for that matter, was actually to fire Napier right now. With someone else calling the plays, maybe the Florida offense will rise from the dead and perform feats of fancy we all believed it could all along! All metaphors aside, the Napier experiment was a bust. We were all rooting for him simply because we want the Florida Gators to be the big, bad boy of the SEC it once was. Under Napier, this was never going to happen, not because he is a bad coach, but because his style just did not fit. The last two coaches that won championships at the University of Florida were both braggadocios, some might even say arrogant and pompous, and that might be just what it takes to win here. Florida has to beat Georgia, LSU and Florida State every year in addition to being better and more relevant than Miami. That is a tall order and not meant for a “gee willigers, aww shucks” kind of guy. It takes a “You can’t spell Citrus without UT” kind of guy. When the powers that be choose their next head coach for the University of Florida football team, it should probably look for that unlikeable curmudgeon that draws the ire of opposing fans and enjoys triggering them in the process. Consider it to be the Thermidorean Reaction of the coaching carousel. The defensive guy didn’t work out, so next go with the quarterback whisperer. The weird genius didn’t work out, so next go with the simple man of faith who is quick to turn the other cheek. That didn’t work out, so next go with Gordon Gekko. No matter what Florida does at this point, it’s all quite literally a crap shoot or another game of cards. We folded on the Napier hand, now let’s hope we are dealt that flush. We just rolled a 7, hand the dice over to someone else for that hard 8. Either way, it all seems so very random – spin the wheel and hope your guy works out; if not, fold him and try again. There are many who will claim to have knowledge on who is the right hire, but not me. I’m not so foolish as to think I can tell what ping pong balls are going to come through the chute and that’s what the next hire will be: another series of numbers on the keno card we hope spells future fortune. Just remember, in this game, the house always wins.

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin will begin searching for a new coach From 1990 to 2010, the Florida Gators won more football games (210) than any team in the nation. Steve Spurrier went 122-27-1 during his 12 years, winning six Southeastern Conference titles and the 1996 national championship. Following a 3-year interlude with Ron Zook in charge, Urban Meyer led the Gators to a 65-15 record with national and SEC titles in 2006 and 2008.   In the years since Meyer hung up his whistle in 210, four Florida coaches have led the Gators to a 109-75 record, which ranks outside the top 30 nationally. The Gators are a full 69 wins behind Alabama (178-23) since Will Muschamp’s initial year in 2011, 52 wins behind Georgia (161-37).   Muschamp, Jim McElwain, Dan Mullen and Billy Napier have been unable to sustain the high standard set by Spurrier and Meyer. From 1990-210, Florida was an elite program, the standard setter in the SEC and for the nation. Since then Florida has tumbled into mediocrity.   Can the Gators find a coach who can bring back the mojo? Can Florida rejoin the elite programs in the nation?   Obviously, now that Billy Napier has been dismissed, the search committee will be charged with finding the next Spurrier or next Meyer, but the question has to be is there an available coach who can deliver? Whoever is hired will have the undaunting task of keeping the talent Napier accumulated happy and willing to stay. Florida doesn’t lack for talent, but how much of it will remain for the new coach? And, can the new coach manipulate the portal in such a way to fill in deficiencies in the UF roster?   This is not a task for a weak or mediocre coach. It has to be a home run hire and it has to be someone who can take advantage of facilities that rank among the best in the country, one of the largest alumni bases in the country, and the usual overflow of high school talent in one of the nation’s top three fertile recruiting grounds.     If there has been a failing of Florida administration since Meyer left it is the inability to hire a coach capable of greatness. Rather than swing for the fences to bring in a great coach, Florida has settled for coaches who were by no means elite. That is a trend worth reversing. If the Gators don’t bring in a truly outstanding coach to replace Napier, then the program will continue falling farther behind.   Does the administration comprehend the urgency?   Associated Press top 25: 1. Ohio State 7-0; 2. Indiana 7-0; 3. Texas A&M 7-0; 4. Alabama 6-1; 5. Georgia 6-1; 6. Oregon 6-1; 7.  Georgia Tech 7-0; 8. Ole Miss 6-1; 9. Miami 5-1; 10. Vanderbilt 6-1; 11. BYU 7-0; 12. Notre Dame 5-2; 13. Oklahoma 6-1; 14. Texas Tech 6-1; 15. Missouri 6-1; 16. Virginia 6-1; 17. Tennessee 5-2; 18. South Florida 6-1; 19. Louisville 5-1; 20. LSU 5-2; 21. Cincinnati 6-1; 22. Texas 5-2; 23. Illinois 5-2; 24. Arizona State 5-2; 25. Michigan 5-2   AFCA Coaches top 25: 1. Ohio State 7-0; 2. Indiana 7-0; 3. Texas A&M 7-0; 4. Alabama 6-1; 5. Georgia 6-1; 6. Oregon 6-1; 7. Georgia Tech 7-0; 8. Ole Miss 6-1; 9. Miami 5-1; 10. BYU 7-0; 11. Oklahoma 6-1; 12. Vanderbilt 6-1; 13. Notre Dame 5-2; 14. Missouri 6-1; 15. Texas Tech 6-1; 16. Virginia 6-1; 17. Tennessee 5-2; 18. Texas 5-2; 19. LSU 5-2; 20. South Florida 6-1; 21. Cincinnati 6-1; 22. Louisville 5-1; 23. Illinois 5-2; 24. Michigan 5-2; 25. Arizona State 5-2   SEC FOOTBALL (Associated Press rankings) No. 4 Alabama (6-1, 4-0 SEC):  Since that game one loss to Florida State, Ty Simpson has completed 130-175 passes for 1,677 yards, 16 touchdowns and just one interception. Saturday: at South Carolina (3-4, 1-4 SEC)   Arkansas (2-5, 0-3 SEC): The Razorbacks have the No. 4 offense in the country (513.7 yards per game) but the defense is No. 126 (443.9 yards per game). Saturday: Auburn (3-4, 0-4 SEC)   Auburn (3-4, 0-4 SEC):  The Tigers are playing defense well enough to be unbeaten but they figure out ways to lose games they should win. They outgained Missouri 150-91 on the ground, picked off two passes and sacked Beau Pribula three times and yet still lost in double overtime. Saturday: at Arkansas (2-5, 0-3 SEC)   No. 5 Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC):  Kirby Smart has to be concerned with the pass rush or lack of. The Poodles have eight sacks in seven games. It’s not a problem the rest of the way against five teams that aren’t prolific passers, but if they get into the playoff it could bite them in a big way.   Kentucky (2-4, 0-4 SEC):  They are still trying to figure out how they lost to Texas. The Wildcats outgained the Longhorns 395-179 and held Arch Manning to just 4.9 yards per pass attempt. Saturday: No. 17 Tennessee (5-2, 2-2 SEC)   No. 20 LSU (5-2, 2-2 SEC):  One reason the fans are growing increasingly weary of HBC Brian Kelly is the dismal offense that ranks 12 th  in the SEC and 83 rd  nationally. The running game averages 112 yards per game which ranks 117 th  nationally. Saturday: No. 3 Texas A&M (7-0, 4-0 SEC)   Mississippi State (4-3, 0-3 SEC):  In the first half of the loss to Florida, the Bulldogs fumbled away one possession, missed a field goal and turned the ball over on downs. Saturday: No. 22 Texas (5-2, 2-1 SEC)   No. 15 Missouri (6-1, 2-1 SEC):  In his last two games, Ahmad Hardy has gained a combined 110 yards on 36 carries. In his first five, Hardy gained 730 yards. He still leads the SEC by 169 yards. Saturday: at No. 10 Vanderbilt (6-1, 2-1 SEC)   No. 13 Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1 SEC):  The Sooners rank No. 1 nationally in total defense, allowing just 213 yards per game. Oklahoma also leads the country in sacks with 28. Saturday: No. 5 Ole Miss (6-1, 3-1 SEC)   No. 8 Ole Miss (6-1, 3-1 SEC):  Held to a season low 351 yards by Georgia, the Rebels will face the top defense in the country Saturday. Ole Miss put up 35 points against Georgia through three quarters, then went scoreless in the fourth. Saturday: at No. 13 Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1 SEC)   South Carolina (3-4, 1-4 SEC):  The lack of pass protection is killing the Gamecocks offensively. They gave up six sacks to Oklahoma and for the season they’ve given up 26 for -238 yards, which is next to last nationally. Saturday: No. 4 Alabama (6-1, 4-0 SEC)   No. 17 Tennessee (5-2, 2-2 SEC):  The high flying Vol offense was slowed down considerably by Alabama. The Vols, who average more than 511 yards per game, were held to season lows 410 yards and 20 points. Saturday: at Kentucky (2-4, 0-4 SEC)   No. 22 Texas (5-2, 2-1 SEC):  The preseason hype for Arch Manning was off the charts. His numbers this year are rather pedestrian: 114-189 passing for 1,449 yards and 12 touchdowns (5 interceptions); 193 rushing yards for five touchdowns. Saturday: at Mississippi State (4-3, 0-3 SEC)   No. 3 Texas A&M (7-0, 4-0 SEC): Quarterback Marcel Reed is emerging as a serious Heisman Trophy candidate. For the season he has thrown for 1,770 yards (8.8 yards per attempt) and 15 touchdowns (only 4 picks) while running for 241 yards and four more TDs. Saturday: at No. 20 LSU (5-2, 2-2 SEC)   No. 10 Vanderbilt (6-1, 2-1 SEC): A year ago, Vanderbilt gave up more than 376 yards per game. The defense is considerably better this year. The Commodores are allowing only 315 per game in 2025, which is seventh in the SEC, 29 th  nationally. Saturday: No. 15 Missouri (6-1, 2-1 SEC)   COUNTDOWN TO FIRING DAY: OCTOBER 19 EDITION Extinct Species List Billy Napier, Florida: Napier is the first coach since Raymond “Bear” Wolf to finish his UF coaching tenure with a losing (22-23) record.   James Franklin, Penn State: He’s already showing up as a replacement candidate for a number of jobs. Meanwhile, it seems that Matt Rhule is the ideal candidate to replace Franklin at Penn State. He says he’s happy at Nebraska. It’s a whole lot easier to recuit at Penn State than it is Nebraska.   Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State:  They would love to lure Alex Golesh from South Florida but Golesh might be a candidate for bigger and better jobs.   Sam Pittman, Arkansas: Bobby Petrino’s offense is making waves, but it hasn’t resulted in wins, so he seems less likely to be Pittman’s successor. Big money people like Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones seem to be throwing their weight behind SMU coach Rhett Lashley. Why would he leave SMU? They have the money and it’s easier to make the playoff coming out of the ACC than it is in the SEC.   DeShaun Foster, UCLA: Interim Tim Skipper is 3-0 since Foster was canned. He gets Indiana in Bloomington this week. If the Bruins figure out a way to win that one, Tim Skipper may have sealed the permanent replacement job.   Brent Pry, Virginia Tech: South Carolina’s lack of success this season makes it more and more likely Shane Beamer will answer the call from mama to come home to Blacksburg.   Trent Dilfer, UAB: Interim Alex Mortenson pulled off a huge upset Saturday in knocking off previously unbeaten Memphis. They don’t have a lot of money at UAB. Do they stick with Mort? Or can they coax Bill Clark to come out of retirement and take over. He won 49 games at UAB between 2017-2021.   Trent Bray, Oregon State:  It’s going to be difficult for the Beavers to land a top flight coach since there is very little in the way of TV money and so many questions about the new Pac-12 conference that will begin play next season.   On Life Support Mike Norvell, Florida State:  When he beat Alabama, Norvell was every Seminole’s buddy. Now that he’s lost the last four, he’s the guy they can’t wait to get rid of. Word is that when they raise the money for the buyout he’s a goner.   Hugh Freeze, Auburn:  Auburn’s four losses in SEC play are by a combined 29 points. If close calls don’t turn into wins soon, Hugh will be a goner.   Luke Fickell, Wisconsin: In their last four games, the Badgers have been outscored 122-20. They’ve been shut out on back-to-back weekends by Iowa and Ohio State. Nobody is happy in Madison.   Derek Mason, Middle Tennessee State: The Blue Raiders are 1-5. They drew fewer than 10,000 to their loss to Missouri State.   Joe Moorhead, Akron:  He probably lasts until the end of the season but anything less than five wins and he’s a goner.   Endangered Species List Brian Kelly, LSU:  He left Notre Dame thinking it would be easier to win a national championship at LSU. He’s 5-2 this year, probably won’t make the playoff for a fourth straight year and the natives are restless. The noise in the system is about to become a dull roar.   Mark Stoops, Kentucky:  He’s the winningest coach in Kentucky history but if he doesn’t start winning soon he will be the unemployed winningest coach in UK history.   Dell McGee, Georgia State:  He has South Alabama this week. That might be the last legitimate chance at a win.   Bill O’Brien, Boston College:  He’s lost six straight games and the next four are at Louisville, Notre Dame, SMU and Georgia Tech. They may keep him around for next year but he will be on a very hot seat.

A large portion of the 90,000 fans at The Swamp were chanting “Fire Billy“ — and they did!

(Photo by Chris Spears) 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.