Oct 28, 2023; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier reacts against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports The Florida Gators are more than a month away from their 2024 season opener, but coach Billy Napier is already on the proverbial hot seat.
The Gators’ third-year coach is being offered at +400 by SportsBetting.ag to be the first NCAA football coach fired this season. Napier, who is 11-14 in two seasons in Gainesville, failed to lead the Gators to a bowl game for the first time since 2017.
Napier leads a list of 18 names being offered by the sportsbook. The second shortest odds belong to Sam Pittman (+500), who is 23-25 through his first four seasons at Arkansas. Looking deeper, the Razorbacks are 11-14 over the past two years — identical to Napier.
Next on the list is Miami’s Mario Cristobal at +600. Those odds could shift significantly with Miami and Florida kicking off their seasons against each other in Gainesville on Aug. 31.
Cristobal, who is coming off signing a third consecutive strong recruiting class, is 12-13 entering the fourth year of the 10-year contract he signed to leave Oregon in 2022.
FIRST NCAA FOOTBALL COACH FIRED*
Billy Napier, Florida (4/1)
Sam Pittman, Arkansas (5/1)
Mario Cristobal, Miami (6/1)
Dave Aranda, Baylor (7/1)
Clark Lea, Vanderbilt (8/1)
Kalani Sitake, BYU (10/1)
Justin Wilcox, California (12/1)
Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh (12/1)
Ryan Day, Ohio State (12/1)
Neal Brown, West Virginia (14/1)
Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati (14/1)
Mike Locksley, Maryland (16/1)
Shane Beamer, South Carolina (16/1)
Tony Elliott, Virginia (16/1)
Dabo Swinney, Clemson (25/1)
Lincoln Riley, USC (25/1)
Brent Venables, Oklahoma (33/1)
Deion Sanders, Colorado (50/1)
*Odds by SportsBetting.ag provided for entertainment purposes only.
Following the first three names on the list is Baylor’s Dave Aranda at +700 and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea at +800.
Aranda is 23-25 in four seasons at the helm of the Bears. Since winning the Big 12 in 2021, Baylor has only nine combined victories, including going 3-9 and closing with five consecutive losses last season.
Lea is 9-27 in three seasons leading the Commodores, including a 2-22 record against SEC opponents.
Perhaps the most intriguing name on the list is Ohio State’s Ryan Day. Despite a 56-8 record with the Buckeyes, he enters this season facing a significant amount of pressure with Ohio State riding a three-game losing streak against bitter rival Michigan.
–Field Level Media
