Billy Napier finalizing deal for next head coaching job, per report
By Rolando Rosa
Published:
It didn’t take long for Billy Napier to get back into the head coaching ranks. Napier, who was fired by Florida this season, is reportedly set to become the next head coach at James Madison, according to On3.
It shapes up as a return to the Sun Belt Conference for the 46-year-old Napier, who excelled at Louisiana with a 40-12 mark from 2018-2021. Napier won back-to-back Sun Belt titles in 2020-2021, along with 4 division titles from 2018-2021.
Napier wasn’t able to replicate that success in Gainesville, as Florida floundered to a 12-16 mark in his tenure.
Napier would succeed Bob Chesney, who is reportedly taking the head coaching role at UCLA after 2 strong seasons with the Dukes. James Madison is 11-1 this season and will face Troy on Friday in the Sun Belt title game, which is set for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN). The Dukes are No. 25 in the final College Football Playoff rankings prior to Selection Sunday, giving them a viable shot at cracking the bracket.
Napier had just 1 bowl victory while at Florida, which came vs. the American’s Tulane in the 2024 Gasparilla Bowl. The Gators never won more than 8 games under Napier.
