The potential Billy Napier replacement that more Florida football fans need to talk about

With Billy Napier finally gone, it appears that Florida’s goal this offseason is to convince Lane Kiffin to leave Oxford for Gainesville. But what if Kiffin is perfectly happy at Ole Miss? Who should the Gators turn to then? Well, the answer might be the head coach who went into Hard Rock Stadium and took down the best team in Florida, Jeff Brohm. 

Brohm has a staggering 4-2 record as a head coach against Top 5 opponents after downing No. 2 Miami in Week 8. His connection to Louisville, his alma mater, could make it tough to pry him away, but with so many big-time jobs open, Brohm’s name deserves to be mentioned. David Pollack mentioned it on Tuesday after Napier’s firing and made a strong case for him as a top candidate. 

Jeff Brohm is being overlooked in Florida’s head coaching search

More than just mentioning Brohm as one of the best offensive play-callers in the sport, Pollack poured cold water on the Kiffin to Florida rumors. Ole Miss has never won an SEC Title, and it’s not entirely clear if that program has a national championship ceiling, but as Pollack stated, Kiffin seems to be content with his current situation as a perennial College Football Playoff contender. 

Florida, though, does have a national title ceiling and needs a coach who can deliver one. Eli Drinkwitz from Missouri would be an intriguing hire, considering the success he’s had at a program that is not a traditional SEC powerhouse, and Jedd Fisch’s ties to his alma mater could make it a good fit. Still, it’s hard to ignore Brohm’s big-game success because there are plenty of big games in the SEC.  

Brohm isn’t just a great game planner. He’s a coach who gets the most out of quarterbacks, even ones who spent most of their career with Lincoln Riley, another of the sport’s offensive geniuses. Brohm expertly negated Miami’s pass-rush with a barrage of quick throws from Miller Moss on Friday night, setting up his QB for success, as he did with Tyler Shough he developed into a second-round NFL Draft pick after one year at Louisville. 

Now, imagine what Brohm could do with DJ Lagway if the former five-star QB stays true to his word and remains put in Gainesville. Brohm has long leaned on the transfer portal to build his rosters, but with Florida’s resources, he could recruit high school talent at a much higher level and go from the giant killer to one of the giants. 

Brohm may not be willing to leave Louisville, but it’s worth a phone call. Florida is the type of place that should call any coach you want in the country and make them say no, not pluck Sun Belt Billy from Louisiana.