On Sunday, the Billy Napier era came to an end at Florida.

Napier was fired by the university one day after leading the Gators to a win over Mississippi State, Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde confirmed. It brought Florida's record to 3-4 on the season but it was not enough to stave off Napier's dismissal, which has been rumored for several weeks now.

It marks an unceremonious end to an unremarkable tenure. Napier went 22-23 with the Gators since he was hired in 2021; his .489 winning percentage is the lowest for any Gators coach since Raymond Wolf in the late 1940s. Napier was under fire for most of his time at the helm as he was unable to lead his team to consistent performances over the course of the college football season. He finished strong to end the 2024 campaign but a poor start to the 2025 season proved his undoing.

Although somewhat expected news, the sports world was still buzzing in the wake of his dismissal as another big-time college football job opens up.

Napier, 46, is owed a buyout of over $20 million as a result of the news. Florida will finish out the season and then try to find the next coach who will raise the school to heights not seen since the Tim Tebow days.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as College Football World Reacts to Florida Firing Billy Napier .

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