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College Football

Florida hires Louisiana Lafayette coach Billy Napier as Dan Mullen’s replacement

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Billy Napier won 39 games and a Sun Belt Conference championship in four years at Louisiana Lafayette. (Matthew Hinton/AP)
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Florida didn’t waste much time hiring a new football coach. A week after firing Dan Mullen, the Gators on Sunday tabbed Louisiana Lafayette’s Billy Napier as the 28th coach in program history.

Napier, who coached the Ragin’ Cajuns from 2018 to 2021, compiled a 39-12 record, winning one Sun Belt Conference championship and four West Division titles. Napier’s final game for the Cajuns will be the Sun Belt championship game Saturday against Appalachian State.

“Our team, staff and entire organization will work daily to establish a program with integrity and class that we all can be proud of,” Napier said in a statement. “More importantly, we will build a culture that is centered around making an impact on our players: as people, as students, and on the field.”

Florida started the season 5-6, including 2-6 in the SEC, leading Athletic Director Scott Stricklin to make a change. The Gators beat rival Florida State, 24-21, on Saturday to clinch bowl eligibility.

“I’ve followed and studied Billy Napier’s career with interest, and he became the primary target immediately after this position came open,” Stricklin said. “We felt confident he would be an excellent leader for the Gators, which is why he was the only candidate I met with about the job.”

Napier has previous ties to the SEC. He worked as an analyst on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama in 2011 and was the wide receivers coach for the Crimson Tide from 2013 to 2016.

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