Jaguars Host Florida Gators' Billy Napier

Like Liam Coen, Napier made his name in the collegiate ranks but while Coen returned to the NFL as an offensive coordinator, Napier went a different path, taking the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns head coaching job back in 2018.

After four years there, Napier went 40-12, winning back-to-back Sun Belt Conference titles before taking the Florida job in 2022.

Coen and Napier share a history of finding their groove despite enduring rough years in their careers. Coen's poor stint as Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator led to him meeting Baker Mayfield and after finding himself in 2023 while at Kentucky, Coen displayed his brilliance in 2024 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

While Coen was taking care of business in Lexington, using current Buffalo Bills running back Ray Davis to gash Napier's Gators defense with 280 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a 33-14 Wildcat victory, Napier was facing questions about his job with people demanding his head each passing week.

Napier would finish the 2023 season with a losing record and was arguably the coach most likely to get fired entering 2024 in all of college football, especially after a 41-17 blowout defeat to in-state rival Miami in Gainesville.

Napier's Gators found new life behind quarterback D.J. Lagway, and with three games remaining in the season, Florida sat at a record of 4-5 with four of the losses coming to ranked opponents.

Then Napier's Gators rallied to upset No. 22 LSU and No. 9 Ole Miss in back-to-back weeks before destroying the Florida State Seminoles in their season finale. A win over Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl gave Napier eight wins on the season and a new lease on life.

Napier's appearance may be just a one-off thing, but considering Florida heavily recruits the Jacksonville region, the Jaguars have a long history with Jaguars players, most recently Ventrell Miller, who played under Napier, and Coen's collegiate roots, perhaps both men are on the verge of becoming Duval County legends.

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