"James Madison is set to hire former Florida coach Billy Napier, sources told ESPN on Thursday. Napier, 46, will replace Dukes coach Bob Chesney, who has agreed to take over at UCLA after the No. 25 Dukes host Troy in Friday's Sun Belt championship game (7 p.m. ET, ESPN). Sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel that Napier's agents are finalizing a five-year deal with James Madison. A formal announcement is expected from JMU on Saturday."
"Napier was fired Oct. 19 after the Gators got off to a 3-4 start. His teams went 22-23 in his four seasons, including 12-16 in SEC play. His teams were 5-17 against ranked opponents, including 0-14 away from home. Even after the Gators struggled on offense in 2024, Napier declined to give up his playcalling role despite calls to do so. He was the first full-time coach at Florida to end his tenure with a losing record since Raymond Wolf (1946 to '49)."
James Madison will hire Billy Napier as head coach under a reported five-year deal, replacing Bob Chesney. Napier's success at Louisiana, where his teams went 40-12 and played in four Sun Belt title games, appealed to JMU officials. Chesney guided the Dukes to a 20-5 record over the past two seasons and an 11-1 mark this year; he has agreed to take over at UCLA and could be permitted to coach JMU if the Dukes make the College Football Playoff. Napier was fired by Florida after a 3-4 start and finished 22-23 overall, including a 12-16 SEC record and 0-14 away mark versus ranked opponents.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]