A year ago, Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports gave Florida head coach Billy Napier a four (out of five) hot seat rating and listed him second on the “now or never” section of his breakdown. The Gators rattled off four wins to cap off an 8-5 2024 campaign, and Dodd retired, leaving the door open for a fresh assessment ahead of the 2025 season.
With a new methodology in place, and multiple minds meeting to provide a more precise rating for all 136 FBS head coaches, the CBS Sports Staff gave Napier a 3.67 heading into his fourth year in Gainesville. Eight head coaches are on a hotter seat than Napier, according to this system, including Arkansas‘s Sam Pittman, Auburn‘s Hugh Freeze and Oklahoma’s Brent Venables. Wisconsin‘s Luke Fickell is tied with Napier for the ninth hottest seat in the country.
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“Our panel of nine experts rated every coach on a scale from 0 to 5,” reads the methodology. “The average score offers a clearer picture of the hot seat landscape heading into the 2025 season. Across the FBS, things appear relatively stable — at least for now — with 88 of 136 coaches receiving a composite rating between 0 and 1.99, indicating they’re “safe and secure.” But among the (seven) coaches with ratings higher than “4”, and even the (21) with scores above “3”, there are big-name programs that will demand attention after the slightest stumble.”
Matt Zenitz, Shehan Jeyarajah, Brandon Marcello, John Talty, Tom Fornelli, Bud Elliott, Chris Hummer, Chip Patterson and Richard Johnson make up the panel.
What Billy Napier needs to stay at Florida
Things looked bleak for Napier after a blowout loss to Texas last season. Graham Mertz had already gone down with his ACL injury and DJ Lagway got hurt in the Georgia game a week earlier. Now 4-5 on the season with LSU and Ole Miss coming up, Florida needed an upset to reach bowl eligibility. Athletic director Scott Stricklin released a public vote of confidence in favor of Napier, both confusing and riling up the fan base.
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Still, Florida committed to seeing things through with Napier and it paid off on the recruiting front. Upsets against LSU and Ole Miss with DJ Lagway running the show also helped Florida secure the No. 7-ranked class, a program best since 2013.
Once again, Napier and Florida face the league’s toughest schedule. Winning two of three against LSU, Miami and Texas would put everyone in a good position, but dropping two of three means Texas A&M and Mississippi State become must-wins. The Georgia game is the golden snitch of it all. Beating Kirby Smart in Jacksonville in front of recruits is the best thing a Florida coach can do for his career. Still, it’s easier said than done.
There are three winnable games against Kentucky, Ole Miss and Tennessee before the regular season finale against Florida State. A nine-win season would show progression under Napier, but an eight-win year could spell doom in the sport’s most impatient conference.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida Gators coach Billy Napier hot seat rankings CBS Sports 2025
