USA TODAY Sports released its college football head coach salary database on Wednesday, highlighting how much each program is paying its top sideline staffer. Among them is a cohort of coaches who are being paid far more than the results on the field have warranted, including Florida Gators skipper Billy Napier.
The fourth-year HC barely escaped last season with his job — thanks to a late surge that put the team over the .500 mark for the first time in four years and gave the Orange and Blue its first bowl win since 2019. However, a first-ever loss to the USF Bulls, at home no less, plus a pair of defeats at the hands of the LSU Tigers and Miami Hurricanes, respectively, put Napier right back on the hot seat.
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Sure, Florida beat the Texas Longhorns last weekend, but the schedule ahead is among the toughest in the nation and the Gators are still a very flawed team overall. Additionally, Napier has a losing record in Gainesville and has overseen one of the roughest patches in program history.
So it should come as no surprise that USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg included him in his column looking at college football’s most overpaid coaches.
“At 21-22 overall, Napier could become the first non-interim Florida coach to post a losing record since Raymond Wolf from 1946-49,” Myerberg begins.
“While last November’s decision to bring Napier back for another year sparked a strong close to last season, the Gators have continued to be one of the most frustrating teams in the SEC and one of the biggest disappointments in the Power Four despite his $7.5 million in total compensation. Napier’s current buyout is $20.4 million.”
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The other coaches mentioned were Lincoln Riley (USC Trojans), Bill Belichick (North Carolina Tar Heels), Luke Fickell (Wisconsin Badgers) and Hugh Freeze (Auburn Tigers).
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida football’s Billy Napier among most overpaid head coach
