Billy Napier buyout: How much it costs Florida to move on from embattled coach amid disappointing 2025 season

Florida has fired fourth-year coach Billy Napier amid a 3-4 start this season and now owes him a sizable buyout. Napier's dismissal marks the fourth consecutive coaching tenure that has forced the hand of Gators' leadership. Napier's win over then-No. 9 Texas earlier this month bought him a couple more weeks before Florida pulled the plug ahead of the program's open date after Saturday's win over Mississippi State. 

Napier's firing comes after he suffered losses by double-digit margins this season to nationally-ranked Texas A&M, Miami and LSU and stubbed his toe as a heavy favorite against South Florida in the home opener on Sept. 6. The decision to move on from Napier is a costly one, but it's a situation Florida is familiar with.

After severing ties with Will Muschamp in 2014 before settling buyout language with Jim McElwain to end his tenure three years later, Florida moved on from Dan Mullen with a $12 million buyout check in 2021 prior to Napier's arrival.

Florida fires Billy Napier: Gators part with fourth-year coach amid disappointing 3-4 start to 2025 season

Richard Johnson

How much is Billy Napier's contract buyout at Florida?

Florida owes Napier around $21 million following Sunday's firing, according to his contract. Napier's contract buyout language mandates that he receives 85% of his annual compensation. For this contract year, which ends Jan. 31, 2026, that total is $7.4 million. The paperwork details that Napier is due 50% of the total buyout within 30 days and there's no offset for the buyout if he gets another job. The remaining installments are due by July 15 every year until the debt is paid. 

Here's the breakdown:

• $10.6 million due Nov. 19, 2025
• $2.65 million due July 15, 2026
• $2.65 million due July 15, 2027
• $2.65 million due July 15, 2028
• $2.65 million due July 15, 2029

Napier signed a seven-year, $51.8 million deal back in 2021 with a base salary that increases $100,000 every year. His salary for 2025 is $7.4 million, with another $22.8 million that was due to him over the next three seasons through January 2029. 

Saturday's last-second win over Mississippi State did nothing to change the fact that Florida's power brass had moved on from Napier, as the tenure began to further unravel in September following a home loss to USF as a heavy favorite. It was the worst loss in Gainesville for the Gators since 2021 against South Carolina when they were a 20.5-point favorite and worst non-SEC loss since their 2013 defeat to Georgia Southern. That loss was the beginning of the end for Muschamp and Napier followed a similar trajectory.

A year ago, Napier was staring down a similar fate and coached his way out of it as Florida closed its season strong and built optimism into 2025 thanks to the emergence of quarterback DJ Lagway as an apparent budding star. This time around, Napier was unable to save his job.

Napier finishes 22-23 with the Gators, including a dreadful 11-16 mark against SEC competition.