The time has finally come for Louisiana head coach Billy Napier. Finalizing a deal to take over as the next head coach of the University of Florida, the Gators have found their guy.
After firing head coach Dan Mullen a week ago, they turned their attention to Napier immediately, being their top target from day one.
With the deal being completed today, Napier will still coach the Ragin’ Cajuns next Saturday in the Sun Belt Conference Championship against Appalachian State.
The last few off-seasons have been a rollercoaster for Cajun fans. Napier has been at the forefront of seemingly every head coaching vacancy the last few years, pulling his name out of conversations with Auburn, South Carolina, Baylor and many other schools.
The Gators offer him the chance to recruit a wide pool of talent in-state and build on a program who has the tools to be successful in the SEC. It’s quite the change of scenery for Napier, but he’s shown how capable he is of turning a program around quickly. With the resources he’ll have in Gainesville, it’ll be interesting to see how rapidly this team becomes competitive again.
He took over a Ragin’ Cajun program that went 5-7 in 2017. Over the last four years, Napier is a combined 39-12. That number is even better (32-5) the last three years. Louisiana, which is ranked No. 23 in the country, will host Appalachian State this weekend for the Sun Belt Championship.
Napier is a program changer. A program builder. He’s proven that in his time with Louisiana, turning this program from an average Sun Belt team to an absolute powerhouse consistently nationally ranked.
With three consecutive 10-win seasons, he leaves this Louisiana program in good hands with the talent on staff and on their roster.
Billy Napier is much more than a head coach in Lafayette, rather he’s the savior of this Louisiana football team. He put this program on the map and made the Ragin’ Cajuns relevant around the entire country.
The Florida Gators have a true workhorse at the helm of their program. Someone devoted to his craft and the proven ability to change a program instantly, Gainesville got a good one in Napier.