Chadwell, Drinkwitz Still in Play: Updated Head Coach Candidates for Florida (9-27-2024)

By Mike Huesmann

This one feels inevitable. Billy Napier 's slim chances to save his job appear to be gone. It was always unlikely to mount a successful season against that gauntlet of a schedule. I’m not here to talk about how that could’ve happened or if there is salvation, I’m here to talk about the next guy and who it could be. I’ll break it down into five strong candidates, some old and some new. This is an update of an article we published two weeks ago. On this list, we keep three names, but replace James Franklin and Fran Brown.

Lane Kiffin

Head Coach, Ole Miss

If there is a current coach with the attitude and persona of the Old Ball Coach, it’s Kiffin. He’s barely put a foot wrong since being at Ole Miss. His team, and this is a pattern we will see, is far better than Florida now, but the Gators are still probably a bigger job with a higher ceiling. Doubters will point to the Alabama job and say he didn’t leave last year, I don’t think he was offered that one. He will at least listen and have his agent field calls.

Eli Drinkwitz

Head Coach, Missouri

Another SEC head coach. Drinkwitz did a good job at Appalachian State and now has done great at Mizzou. His team is far better than Florida right now, but Mizzou still isn’t as big of a job. I have to believe he’s near the top of this list when calls start being made.

Jedd Fisch

Head Coach, Washington

A former Gator assistant under Steve Spurrier, does he want to come back to Gainesville? If he was coming from Arizona I’d say it’s a lock but being in year one at Washington complicates things. Leaving so soon is not something some guys want to do. His brand of football, building from the trenches, may be what the Gators need.

Jamey Chadwell

Head Coach, Liberty

Jamey Chadwell is a fantastic coach who should already be a P4 head coach. His success at the FCS level, Coastal Carolina, and Liberty is unimpeachable. He is one of the best X’s and O’s guys in the game. That being said, I don’t know if he’ll be the guy. I’d love the hire for Florida, and anyone, but I do not believe Florida hires a G5 head coach again. We don’t see teams repeat the mistake hire they recently made, and that is what this would be.

Glenn Schumann

Defensive Coordinator /Inside Linebacker’s, Georgia

Another coach from the Saban/Smart tree. He was a student assistant and graduate assistant for the Tide before going to UGA with Kirby Smart. Schumann has won 6 national titles as an assistant, 4 with the Tide and the last 2 with Georgia. Schumann has continually climbed the ladder and looks to get the chance to be a head coach sometime soon. I don’t know if Florida will require head coaching experience, if I was them I would, but Schumann could be a guy they look at here. He checks most of the boxes they’ll want.