GAINESVILLE, Fla. (floridagators.com) — The Gators have selected Billy Napier as the 28th head coach in program history, University of Florida Athletics Director Scott Stricklin announced Sunday.
Napier, who spent the last four seasons as Louisiana’s head coach (2018-21), will lead the Ragin’ Cajuns in this year’s Sun Belt Conference Championship Game when they face App State Saturday, Dec. 4.
He will arrive in Gainesville Sunday, Dec. 5 and a press conference will be held that same day on campus. Details for the press conference will be shared at a later time.
“We are humbled and honored to accept this incredible opportunity to be the head football coach at the university of Florida,” Napier said. “Our team, staff and entire organization will work daily to establish a program with integrity and class that we all can be proud of. More importantly, we will build a culture that is centered around making an impact on our players; as people, as students, and on the field.
“We embrace the expectations and are excited about the challenge ahead. We will assemble a special group of people and immediately get to work building a great program. A special thank you to President Dr. Fuchs and Athletic Director Scott Stricklin. We look forward to getting to Gainesville and starting this journey!”
“I’ve followed and studied Billy Napier’s career with interest, and he became the primary target immediately after this position came open,” Stricklin said. “We felt confident he would be an excellent leader for the Gators, which is why he was the only candidate I met with about the job.
“Billy’s ability to bring highly-talented people together - players, coaches, and staff - along with his vision for having a strong, relationship-based culture is what made him such an attractive choice. Add in how detailed his plan is for player development, staffing and recruiting, along with a sustained desire to improve, and it’s easy to see why he’s been successful.
“I’m so pleased that Billy, Ali, Annie, Sammy Nelson and Charlie are coming to Gainesville. It’s an exciting day for the Gators.”
