How Scott Stricklin lost the Gators: A decade of bad timing and worse decisions

When Scott Stricklin arrived in Gainesville in 2016 to replace longtime Athletic Director Jeremy Foley, he was viewed as a steady, modern athletic director-someone who could upgrade facilities, stabilize the athletic department, and bring Florida athletics back to national relevance. Nearly a decade later, his track record paints a very different picture. Stricklin’s tenure has become defined less by long-term vision and more by a collection of high-profile misfires that have left Florida football, and much of the fanbase, stuck in frustration.

Stricklin’s first major act came in 2017 when he fired Jim McElwain. At the time, the decision felt sudden, but the behind-the-scenes relationship between McElwain and Stricklin was completely unraveled. The issue isn’t that he fired McElwain; it’s what came next. Stricklin put his faith in Dan Mullen, a move that initially looked like a strong value hire. Mullen quickly restored competitiveness, reaching back-to-back New Year’s Six bowls and developing one of the best offenses in decades. But when the 2021 season unraveled, Stricklin reacted aggressively, firing Mullen after essentially one bad year.

That firing, in hindsight, was the turning point. Rather than addressing Mullen’s recruiting issues with structural changes, Stricklin reset the program entirely and hired Billy Napier, branding the move as a “long-term building process.” Napier promised staffing innovation and methodical roster development, but the results never matched the rhetoric. The Gators routinely looked unprepared, undisciplined, and outmatched on the field.

Yet Stricklin refused to make a change when it was most needed. Through blowout losses, recruiting collapses, and SEC shortcomings, he publicly backed Napier. What Stricklin called patience became a shield, and in the SEC that’s a dangerous disguise. By the time he finally cut ties with Napier, the fallout was obvious: Florida lagged behind its rivals, the roster was mentally checked out, and the fanbase’s trust in the program’s direction had faded into frustration.

But the latest development has only added confusion. As rumors swirled about Lane Kiffin’s interest and his future at Ole Miss, Stricklin appeared to pull the plug on the pursuit before anything concrete materialized. Instead of allowing the process to play out or waiting for Kiffin himself to make a decision, the door seemed to be slammed shut. In a coaching market defined by timing and leverage, Florida once again operated from a position of uncertainty.

Now, as Florida faces yet another reset, the common thread in all these decisions is Stricklin himself. Firing too early, firing too late, betting big on the wrong rebuild, hesitating at crucial moments, and mishandling the optics of a potential Kiffin move — it all reflects a leadership approach that has left Florida without stability or momentum.

As the Gators search for their next direction, one question looms larger than any coaching candidate: how much longer can Florida afford the consequences of Scott Stricklin’s decisions?