The search for a new Gators head coach has officially begun. Former wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales will serve as interim until Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin finds the program’s future head coach.
Stricklin, who is responsible for hiring his third football coach under his nine-year tenure, said the program intends on hiring an “elite” football coach.
“We all want to be competitive, whether it's NIL, whether it's coaching salaries, we're all responding to what the market dictates,” Stricklin said Monday. “We're going to try to be as smart as we can with our resources and make the best possible decision. But we're also going to be very competitive.”
Florida already owes Napier roughly $20 million due to his buyout. Half of that will be paid before a Nov. 19 deadline, and the remaining $10 million will be paid in four separate chunks annually until 2029.
With $20 million already on the books, how much more would the Gators be required to spend if they look for one of college football’s top coaches?
Lane Kiffin - $36.6 million
Undoubtedly the biggest name among Florida’s potential hires, the Ole Miss head coach has generated immense buzz this season. Florida can expect to pay a $36.6 million buyout if Kiffin were to leave the Rebels.
The team is 6-1 heading into its Week 9 top-15 matchup with the Oklahoma Sooners. In his sixth year with the program, Kiffin has posted a 50-19 overall record. Prior to his time in Oxford, Mississippi, the head coach made stops on Florida Atlantic, University of Southern California and Tennessee’s campuses.
Whether Kiffin was wearing the headset for the Rebels or Trojans, he has seen success with his squads. He has brought Ole Miss to No. 4 on the AP Poll, its highest ranking in a decade.
Eli Drinkwitz - $28.8 million
Fellow SEC head coach Drinkwitz knows what it takes to compete in the NCAA. In his sixth season at the helm of the Missouri Tigers, he has a career record of 56-26. Prior to his time in Columbia, Missouri, Drinkwitz led Appalachian State to a 12-1 record, the team’s greatest win total since 2006.
It would take Drinkwitz to receive around $28.8 million from Missouri in order to be named to another team’s coaching roster.
His success as a head coach will stand out when the time comes to select Napier’s replacement. Spurrier spoke highly of both him and Kiffin when speaking to USA Today.
“I firmly think [Kiffin] is a very good coach,” he said. “There’s no question about that. I like him. I like Eli Drinkwitz. I like a lot of guys out there that are proven winners.”
Jedd Fisch - $33.6 million
The Washington head coach has an estimated buyout of $33.6 million. He has made large strides in turning around the Huskies program both on and off the field.
He was named head coach in 2024 and immediately took off. He focused on recruiting in his first season in order to bolster a depleted roster early on. The team saw a Sun Bowl berth in its first season in the Big Ten.
Fisch helped his team to a 3.27 cumulative grade point average, topping the previous program record.
The journeyman has played an integral part of various organizations at both the collegiate and professional levels. The UF graduate began his career under Steve Spurrier as a graduate assistant in 1990.
Following his time in Gainesville, Fisch took to the NFL, where he was named to the Houston Texans’ staff in 2002, then the Baltimore Ravens two years later.
After eight additional stops in both the NCAA and NFL, Fisch worked with Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots as a quarterbacks coach in 2020. He then found his first head coaching job with the Arizona Wildcats where he led the team to a 10-3 record in 2023.
His success with Arizona aided him in receiving the head coaching bid with Washington. Now, the Huskies face a 5-2 record.
Dan Lanning - $56.7 million
One of the most successful coaches in Oregon history is set to be one of the highest-paid individuals at the position after signing an extension through 2030.
Lanning is due $56.7 million if he were to leave Eugene, Oregon, which is the heftiest price tag among Florida’s potential candidates. The head coach has cemented himself in the Ducks’ record books among his four year tenure.
Lanning has led the Ducks to a 41-7 record and is just the third Oregon coach to post three consecutive 12-win seasons.
If available, Lanning would be a prime candidate for the Gators’ head coaching job.
Brent Key - $11.1 million
While an improbable move, Georgia Tech head coach Key could bring his massive success to the SEC. The Yellow Jackets have started 7-0 for the first time since 1966.
GT’s 2025 start has sparked many questions regarding Key and his current coaching status. While not expected to be moved from the Yellow Jackets, Key has the lowest buyout price among possible Florida hires at $11.1 million.
Georgia Tech leads the ACC through seven games. Key, a GT alumni, played for the Yellow Jackets from 1997-2000. He returned to his alma mater in 2019 as associate head coach before being promoted in 2023.
Marcus Freeman
Freeman, one of the most successful figures on this list, could be a long-shot to bring into Gainesville. But if there was a possibility, he would turn the program around.
His buyout numbers are not publicly known; although, he inked a four-year extension, keeping him with Notre Dame through 2030. He is set to make around $54 million with the deal.
Freeman is slated to receive $7.4 million within 2025, which is first among the Independents. As Notre Dame is a private institution, it is not clear what a buyout would cost.
Prior to agreeing to his most recent contract, Freeman was linked to a $4 million buyout. The extension propelled the number much higher.
Freeman was named head coach of the Irish nearing the conclusion of the 2021 season. After coaching three full seasons, he has an overall record of 38-11.
He most notably brought the Irish to the National Championship last season, but came up short 34-23.
While not the most likely candidate to leave a job in which he is likely to make the College Football Playoff, bringing in Freeman to lead the Gators would be a move Stricklin dreams about.
Alex Golesh
Golesh’s buyout numbers are not publicly known because he signed his contract with USF Foundation. Gators fans are all too familiar with Golesh and USF. The Bulls traveled to Gainesville and shocked Florida after securing the victory with a walk-off field goal.
The then-top 15 win propelled Golesh’s squad into the top-25. The Bulls are No. 18 in the nation heading into Week 9.
While stamped with an unknown buyout amount, Golesh is half-way through his six-year contract. He is set to make $2.5 million annually in the first three years of the deal. As 2026 approaches, the USF HC will see a $100,000 increase with $200,000 in base salary and $2.1 million in supplemental pay.
If the NCAA were to realign programs and initiate USF into a Power Four conference, Golesh would be due around an additional $1 million annually.
Golesh has made USF football unrecognizable in his three years with the program. In addition to this year’s 6-1 record, he brought two bowl game wins to Tampa.
Prior to entering campus, USF had not seen a winning season since 2018. Prior to his time with the Bulls, Golesh aided both UCF’s and Tennessee’s offenses. He was the Volunteers’ offensive coordinator where he was selected for the Broyles Award ahead of the 2022 postseason.
In Golesh’s first season with Tennessee, he helped the offense break eight program single-season records: points, total offensive yards, touchdowns, point after touchdowns made, total first downs, rushing first downs, fewest interceptions thrown and passing efficiency.
Ahead of his time in Knoxville, Golesh served as offensive coordinator of the Knights for one season. In the short stint he managed to transform the offense. UCF ranked second in FBS in total offense (568.1).
If brought in to Gainesville, Golesh knows what it takes to elevate an offense.
Jon Sumrall
The Tulane Wave is the just one of two programs listed that is not a NCAA Power Four school. While not the flashiest of names, Sumrall is a contender for Florida’s vacant position.
He signed an extension to stay in New Orleans through the 2029 season, slated at approximately $3 million annually.
He has seen major success in leading the Troy Trojans from 2022-2023. He brought the program to its highest AP Poll ranking in history at 19.
Sumrall also guided the team to two consecutive Sun Belt Conference championships.
The Alabama native has previous ties to the SEC. Sumrall was named co-defensive coordinator under Mark Stoops with Kentucky in 2021.
Contact Riley Orovitz at rorovitz@alligator.org. Follow her on X @rileyorovitz
Riley is a sophomore sports journalism student and is the swim & dive beat reporter for Fall 2025 in her first semester with The Alligator. In her free time, she may be watching past Miami Dolphins or Florida Panthers highlights or hanging out with her friends.
