Insider names surprising name for Florida job if Billy Napier gets fired

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier is going to have a hard time making it out of this 2025 college football season with his job intact.

Florida is 1-1 after losing to South Florida at home on Saturday, and the rest of the Gators' schedule is absolutely brutal. 

Heck, Napier may not even make it past Brian Kelly and No. 3 LSU in Week 3.

If, and likely when, Napier is fired, the Gators are going to have one of the more interesting head-coaching openings in college football. Florida is traditionally a powerhouse; it has a ton of financial backing, it's located in a recruiting hotbed and there's a ton of passion for the program amongst the fanbase.

As Napier is likely to find out, that passion can lead to a ton of pressure.

A replacement would have to be able to handle that pressure while, at the same time, being competent enough to shepherd one of the top brands in not just college athletics, but sports in general.

Perhaps that's why ESPN's Adam Rittenberg believes current Penn State head coach James Franklin could be a very interesting name to keep an eye on if the Florida job opens up.

If Penn State doesn't win the College Football Playoff in 2025, perhaps Franklin could be lured away from Happy Valley, where he's been the head coach since 2014.

"A lot depends on how a championship-or-bust 2025 season goes, and Franklin certainly could continue at PSU, especially since he has the infrastructure and support that he coveted earlier in his time there," Rittenberg wrote. "But coaches also talk about restarting their clocks, and after 12 seasons at Penn State, a change might make sense for him. Franklin has a home in Florida and has spent a lot of time in the state over the years."

James Franklin would be an interesting HC target for Florida if Napier is fired

A lot would have to happen for this scenario to play out. First would be Florida firing Napier, which, as mentioned, is very likely.

Next would be Florida, waiting to take the time to approach a coach like Franklin until January. That, of course, doesn't mean backchannel conversations can't be had, but No. 2 Penn State believes it can be a legit CFP contender this season, so the odds would suggest that the Nittany Lions would be playing late into the campaign.

Lastly, there would need to be mutual interest between Franklin and Florida. As Rittenberg mentioned, the long-time PSU head coach does have a home in Florida. He also knows a bit about the SEC, as his first head-coaching gig was at Vanderbilt.

For Florida, the match would also make a ton of sense. Franklin has a 127-57 overall record as a college head coach. He's known as a pretty darn good recruiter, and he has plenty of experience at a big-time football school.

There are absolutely barriers between this idea from Rittenberg and Franklin coaching at Florida in 2026, but the idea is intriguing, at the very least. Surprising? Yes. Nonetheless, it's intriguing.