Florida AD Scott Stricklin, QB DJ Lagway discuss Billy Napier’s midseason firing

One day after Florida decided to fire football coach Billy Napier, athletic director Scott Stricklin and star quarterback DJ Lagway took the podium to discuss the news. Stricklin addressed his decision to move on from Napier and the upcoming coaching search, and Lagway spoke on his future with the Gators.

Napier, hired by Stricklin in November 2021, was never able to get the Gators off the ground in his tenure. His best season as an 8-5 mark in 2024, and Napier was off to a 3-4 start this season. Heading into the bye week, Stricklin chose to fire Napier following Saturday’s win over Mississippi State.

Now, Stricklin is preparing to make his third football coaching hire since arriving at Florida in 2016. His first two hires, Dan Mullen and Napier, didn’t achieve the heights expected of them, so the pressure will be on Stricklin to find a coach who can lead the Gators back to the top of the SEC.

When Stricklin spoke to reporters Monday, he answered questions about what factors played a role in Napier’s firing, as well as how Florida would approach its search for the next coach.

Why things didn’t work out with Napier

Stricklin said that, while he had a lot of “faith” and “confidence” in Napier, coaching hires are an “inexact science.” The Florida AD noted that Napier did some good things in Gainesville, but it wasn’t up to the championship standard that had been set before him.

One of the biggest sources of frustration around Napier’s tenure at Florida was an offense that could never seem to get out of neutral. Throughout his time with the Gators, Napier insisted on calling plays, but the results never really improved. In fact, Florida’s best season in terms of scoring was in 2022, Napier’s first season. That year, the Gators scored 29.5 points per game, good for 57th in the nation.

Stricklin admitted he and Napier discussed those offensive woes, and he even suggested Napier may be better off in more of a CEO role.

“We had a lot of conversations related to that,” Stricklin said. “We spent, probably, hours in conversation. I shared with him that his strength may be leading the program and overseeing the bigger picture.

“At the end of the day, my philosophy is you hire head coaches. You give them the authority to make decisions on how they want to run their program, and then you hold them accountable to that. That’s probably a big reason we’re here today.”

When Napier was facing an uncertain future after the 2024 season, Stricklin brought him back. As for whether Napier hiring a play caller for his staff was a prerequisite for him keeping his job into 2025, Stricklin said discussions were had but that it was never “this, or else.”

Given the opportunity to clarify that Stricklin himself — and not the boosters — made the final call on Napier, Stricklin said the power brokers at Florida take a hands-off approach with the AD.

“I have a lot of encouragement,” Stricklin said. “I have a lot of support, but I don’t have anybody reaching over and trying to grab the steering wheel. I think that’s one of the things that makes this place really unique, and it’s one the reasons why we’ve had this much success.

Looking ahead to the coaching search

As Stricklin turns his attention to the coaching search, he expects to have a “wide variety” of candidates from “a lot of different backgrounds.” Stricklin said finding a proven championship-caliber coach is hard these days, so the Gators will likely have to find someone with the potential to hit that ceiling.

“It is tricky,” Stricklin said. “There are three current coaches in college football who have won national championships. Unless one of those three decide they want to come — and we think they’re a good fit — we’re gonna have to make a projection somewhere along the line.”

Stricklin also made the case that firing Napier earlier in the season gives the Gators an advantage because “time is an asset” with these searches.

“The unique thing about these high-profile positions is … the time to make those searches is compressed,” Stricklin said. “Usually, you have a week or two, and there’s some kind of impending date you wanna get it to because there’s some kind of portal opening up or signing day occurring. We have a little bit more time in this circumstance. … We have a chance to be very thorough.”

Florida is one of the first programs to enter a coaching market expected to be red hot by season’s end. Penn State has already made its move, and more high-profile programs may follow in the coming weeks. Asked what will help the Gators stand out in a crowded room, Stricklin made his pitch.

“I think that logo stands out,” Stricklin said. “The Gator head is pretty special. In a state of 22 million, the third-largest state in the country. Over 500,000 living alumni. Top-five public university. We’ve had, what, 14 or 15 straight sellouts. … The results on the field haven’t been what we’re accustomed to. Yet, Gator nation keeps coming and supporting at such a high level.

“The facilities. The access to talent. Young people want to be at the University of Florida. This is a place people are drawn to. Every coach that we have on this campus will tell you kids will answer the phone when they see it’s from the Gators. We have a lot of advantages that we need to utilize.”

Finally, when asked to clarify that he is solely responsible for hiring the next coach, Stricklin gave a short and clear answer.

“I am, yes.”

DJ Lagway addresses his future at Florida

Florida quarterback DJ Lagway and his family were, and are, close with Napier. Lagway was one of the biggest recruiting wins of Napier’s tenure, as he signed with the Gators as the No. 1 quarterback and the No. 3 prospect nationally in the 2024 class.

He’s been Napier’s starter since former transfer addition Graham Mertz went down with an ACL tear six games into the 2024 season. Lagway stuck around through the lows of the Napier era, but there is justifiable concern that the Gators could lose him to the transfer portal in the offseason.

Though Lagway admitted that Napier’s firing was “hard,” and that Sunday was “very emotional,” he did reaffirm his commitment to the team as it finishes 2025 out.

“I’m a Florida Gator,” Lagway said when asked about his prospects beyond the season. “My biggest focus right now is these five games and continuing to better my craft and continuing to develop as a player.”

The 6-foot-3 and 247-pound Lagway has thrown for 1,513 yards with nine touchdowns to nine interceptions this season. He’s completed under 60% of his passes in three of Florida’s last five games.

Lagway could benefit from the fact that quarterbacks coach Ryan O’Hara will call plays on gameday as part of interim coach Billy Gonzales’ staff. Lagway will also continue to work with Russ Callaway in his role as offensive coordinator.

“Coach O’Hara, he’s been there from the beginning,” Lagway said. “He’s taught me a lot, even when I was in high school having meetings with him during the recruiting process and him helping me with different things. I have a great relationship with coach O’Hara and I’m excited for it.”