Billy Napier is one of the more intriguing names in the college football coaching circle after being fired from the Florida Gators seven games into this season. There was some belief that maybe he would sit out the 2026 season and get back into coaching the following hiring cycle. However, one school made it known that they believe he is the guy to lead them into the future, so let’s take a deeper dive into the situation and discuss what this means going forward.
Billy Napier Becomes New Coach of James Madison Dukes
The James Madison Dukes have reportedly signed a five-year contract with coach Billy Napier, per Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger. Napier is a two-time Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year during his time with the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. As a coach, he holds a 62-35 record, including a 3-2 bowl record, but never saw his team in the College Football Playoff with either Louisiana or the Florida Gators.
Napier is going to replace Bob Chesney, who has already agreed to become the next UCLA Bruins coach. However, the program is in an intriguing position as the Dukes are currently in the College Football Playoff mix this season, as they are the 25th-ranked program and would be in a great position if the Duke Blue Devils win the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship and the Dukes win against the Troy Trojans in the Sun Belt Championship as one of the top five-highest conference champions.
We will see if this hiring would keep James Madison players from hitting the NCAA Transfer Portal. This is going to be an intriguing team to watch next season as Napier heads back to the Sun Belt.
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