By Evan MasseyShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberSince making the decision to move on from former head coach Billy Napier in the middle of the 2025 college football season, the Florida Gators have been connected to a plethora of names as potential replacements.
Obviously, the most commonly mentioned name in the coaching search has been Ole Miss lead man Lane Kiffin.
While Kiffin would be a dream scenario for Florida, it's unlikely that the Gators will land him. It sure sounds like Kiffin's choice will come down to staying at Ole Miss or becoming the next head coach for the LSU Tigers.
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Assuming that Kiffin is indeed off of the table, who could Florida turn to to lead the program into the future?
...Plenty of other options have come up for the Gators. Among those options are Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz, USF's Alex Golesh, Tulane's Jon Sumrall, Louisville's Jeff Brohm, and Georgia Tech's Brent Key. However, another name is worth keeping a close eye on.
Pro Football Focus analyst Max Chadwick has made a surprising prediction for the Gators. He believes that Washington Huskies head football coach Jedd Fisch will get the job.
“I’m predicting Jed Fisch to be the next head coach at Florida,” Chadwick said.
“It feels like Florida is going to be waiting on an answer from Lane Kiffin, as is maybe a school I’ll get to later on in LSU, and maybe that means Eli Drinkwitz gets snatched up by someone else. Maybe that means James Franklin gets snatched up by someone else. I don’t think Jedd Fisch would leave for UCLA, (but) I think he would leave for Florida.”
Fisch would be a nice addition for Florida. He has had an up-and-down track record as a college football head coach, but there have been a lot of reasons to be optimistic that he can be a highly successful head coach.
Read more: Bill Belichick Under Fire After North Carolina’s Latest Setback
In his last year with the Arizona Wildcats back in 2023, he led the team to a 10-3 record. In his two years at Washington thus far, Fisch has compiled a 14-10 record.
While he would not be the kind of home run hire that Kiffin would be, Fisch is a solid head coach. It might not be what Gators fans want to see, but he's a name worth monitoring closely.
For more on the Florida Gators and college football news, head to Newsweek Sports.
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