Louisiana coach Billy Napier addresses Mississippi State job speculation
As the Mississippi State coaching search rolls on, there’s one name to cross off the list.
Louisiana coach Billy Napier said Sunday that he’s not a candidate for the job, as his team prepares for the LendingTree Bowl against Miami-Ohio.
Napier, a former assistant at Alabama and Clemson, was hired at Louisiana as head coach ahead of the 2018 season. He has notched a 17-10 record, going 7-7 in his first year and 10-3 in his second season. The Ragin Cajuns are 10-3 this season and will play at Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama on Monday.
Under Napier, Louisiana won the 2018 Sun Belt Conference West Division Championship to advance to the inaugural conference championship game.
Napier came to the Ragin’ Cajuns from Arizona State where he served as Associate Head Coach, offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach.
In two seasons, former coach Joe Moorhead was 14-12 as Mississippi State’s head coach. The Bulldogs fell to 6-7 for the 2019 campaign with a 38-28 Music City Bowl loss to Louisville.
BREAKING: UL coach Billy Napier just said he is “not a candidate” for the head coaching job at Mississippi State.
— Tim Buckley (@TDARaginCajuns) January 5, 2020
Would you expect any coach, the day before his team’s bowl game, to say anything other than what he said there?
Pine box
Hopeful interpretation: I am not a candidate, as I have already signed a contract that will be announced only after my current programs games are completed. Too much to hope for? Second hopeful possibility: I am not a candidate, as the aforementioned university has already hired a candidate whose identity will be released by said university. Yeah… I’m really pouring sugar in the bad coffee right now, but you never know.
The entire quote is, I think it is fair to say that we’ve made a decision that we are not a candidate for that job. MSU may want to look elsewhere unless they want to pay a ton for him.
A lot of Miss State fans are convinced that no matter what Napier says, it is just a smokescreen and the he is taking the job.
Just because they want it bad enough doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. To give our administration that much credit, especially after the decisions or lack thereof the past month, I will believe it when I see it.
I don’t expect Napier anymore even though he was my top candidate.
Honestly, I don’t think anyone wants the Mississippi State job. Coaching in the SEC West is beyond the skills of most coaches. Coaching at a school like MSU that is middle of the pack in its best years?