Now that the Billy Napier era is officially over, the next task for Florida's administration is to zero in on the next head coach for the Florida Gators. There are bound to be all the popular names floated to be the next hire, including Lane Kiffin, but there are also some names that would not go over well in Gainesville.
These are five coaches we would stay away from when looking for the next head coach of the Gators.
5. USC Trojans defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn
The defensive coordinator for USC (the one with academic standards) is quickly rising as one of the top defensive minds in college football. D'Anton Lynn bounced around NFL staffs before becoming the DC at UCLA in 2023, and then moved over to Southern Cal in 2024.
Beyond being a defensive-oriented individual, Lynn has no experience as a head coach, and this would be a significant gamble to make Florida his first head coaching job, considering his relative lack of college experience to begin with.
The other big thing is do you really want someone with Lincoln Riley ties coming to Gainesville?
4. Tulane Green Wave head coach Jon Sumrall
The Tulane coach that Gator fans saw last December in the Gasparilla Bowl, Jon Sumrall would be an intriguing Group of Five option, who has had success all four seasons he has been a head coach.
But while Tulane had a solid year in 2024 and he is off to a 6-1 start in 2025, he has yet to have a "wow" win that makes him the "it" guy out of the Group of Five.
The fact Florida hired Napier after having had success in the Group of Five at Louisiana makes this potential head-coaching candidate too risky to pursue.
Why would Florida want to hire another Group of Five head coach after their previous one failed?
3. Former Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin
The man was just fired from Penn State last weekend has a clause in his buyout that he has to look for a new job in order actually to receive his buyout.
Now, James Franklin would have major program experience and also has SEC experience from his days at Vanderbilt, but the problem with the James Franklin experience is that he became a gatekeeper in college football.
He could get Florida to nine or 10 wins per year, but he showcased at Penn State that he couldn't get them over the hump, and his record against top-10 teams wound up being his downfall in Happy Valley.
His greatest strength is winning games his teams already should, in addition to defending himself.
2. Washington Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch
Jedd Fisch is a Florida alum, and his name has been floated around the past couple of years.
Even though Fisch is offensive-minded, and does have Power Four experience as a head coach, he just doesn't have that "it" factor that makes him a must-hire.
He had one good year in Arizona in 2023 before he jumped ship to Washington after Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama.
Fisch is 5-2 so far in 2025, but he has benefited from a super soft schedule and managed just six points against Ohio State.
Washington managed one point better of offense vs. Michigan this past weekend in Big Ten play.
1. Missouri Tigers head coach Eliah Drinkwitz
Speaking of soft schedules, Eliah Drinkwitz has elevated Missouri into a notable middle-of-the-road SEC program, but there are signs of being a TEMU version of James Franklin.
Since arriving at Missouri, Drinkwitz is just 7-15 against ranked opponents and is 2-14 as a road underdog.
In case you are keeping score at home, Billy Napier was 5-17 against ranked opponents and 1-11 as a road underdog.
Drinkwitz will have options this offseason as well. Arkasnas opened up a few weeks ago and he is a native from that state.
While Florida could have interest in him, he might be a top candidate at Auburn if Hugh Freeze is let go.
Keep in mind Drinkwitz served under Gus Malzahn's on Gene Chizik's 2010 to 2011 Auburn staffs.