Florida coaching candidates: 7 most likely replacements for Dan Mullen

Lane Kiffin would do very well at Florida, but he is thriving at Ole Miss right now

Could Lane Kiffin actually do it? He has done a tremendous job reinventing himself since coining the phrase of getting tarmac-ed nearly a decade ago at USC. Kiffin brought modern offensive philosophies to Tuscaloosa during his rehabilitation period. He parlayed that into an excellent three-year run at Florida Atlantic. Now, he has Ole Miss thinking about a New Year’s Six bowl.

While Kiffin may want to go back to the Sunshine State, Florida may not have the stones to hire him. Frankly, the Miami job is a better re-entry point if Kiffin wants to go back to Florida. Though he will recruit at a high level and bring winning football back to Gainesville, Ole Miss is a far less stressful job. Plus, why would he want to switch jobs when he could end up with Arch Manning?

If Mark Stoops can win consistently at Kentucky, he can win big at Florida

It would be incredibly ballsy if Mark Stoops switched SEC East allegiances to take the Florida job after completely rebuilding Kentucky. Though the Wildcats may never win the SEC East, he has that thing humming in a manner nobody alive has ever seen. He can win eight games there annually and Big Blue Nation will commission a statue in his likeness outside of Kroger Field.

Stoops brings an elite combination of recruiting prowess, player development, culture building and general likability to the equation. These are all things Florida is in dire need of. The question he needs to ask himself is if he wants to stay a big fish in a small pond to become a legend like Bill Snyder was at Kansas State or if he wants to leave for something possibly better, like Mullen did.

Billy Napier has built an excellent Group of Five program, and he is ready for this

This may not excite the Florida fanbase a ton, but the best candidate for the job right now would have to be Billy Napier out of Louisiana. He has shown he can build a winning culture at the Group of Five level. His Ragin’ Cajuns are among the best teams in the Sun Belt annually. But the best thing he has going for him is that he has strong SEC ties from his time working under Nick Saban.

Napier has been an analyst under Saban and then his former wide receivers coach. For him, it is a combination of recruiting, player development, culture building and frankly, being ready for the next big thing. Napier checks all the boxes Stoops does, albeit as an offensive-minded head coach. While Stoops could potentially leave Lexington for Gainesville, Napier may not turn down this job.

Simply, if Jimbo Fisher were to leave Texas A&M, Napier would be a candidate to lead the Aggies, which lets everyone know he can take over at a place like Florida.

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