🏈 In the age of the portal, when is the right time to fire your coach?

[TerryP]

Brandon brought this up in another discussion about when is the best time for a school like Florida to fire Napier. We all know there isn't a good time to be firing your head coach; no school wants to be there.

Brandon's comments:

🏈 GAME THREAD Post in thread '🏈 WEEK THREE: NCAA/SEC Games of the Week.'

Sep 13, 2025

Id wait it out, but be in the process of finding my next coach in private. Go ahead and call some coaches, see who's interested, and go from there.

The main thing is firing him when the auto portal window can't hurt you... but I'd still wait a bit.

• Brandon Van de Graaff

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[TerryP]

Consider this.

IF UF were to fire Napier today the portal opens for the next 30 days and would close for the Gator's roster the middle of next month. The "auto-portal" opens on the 9th of December and closes the 28th. There's a total of 50 days.

Stricklin has some choices.

Fire him before the December portal and suffer through 50 days of worrying about transfers.
Fire him in December and cut down that 50 day window. The 30 days window for players to transfer after a coach is fired plus the 20 in December...fire him the 9th and you only deal with a 30 day window.

BUT.

Now who are you going to hire and be able to replenish the roster if you're waiting until December? Let's say Florida hires "Billy Ball" on the 9th. Would he, or any 'real' coach, be able to get the roster numbers up to something respectable in those few weeks in December? Geez...

How do you divide your attention? Is your focus on the coach and not retention? I don't see how one can split his attention 50/50.

 

[PurlJam]

Every Saturday during the season.

 

[rick4bama]

Use to be at the end of the season. Right now it could be the very first game?

 

[musso]

Depends on (1) who is available to replace him and (2) how soon the announcement can be made.

 

[Scrape&Search1032]

 

[footballer]

Whenever they get enough money saved up.

 

[OldPlayer]

If the head coach is the only one involved in working on the future of your program, you’re in trouble. The firing of the HC shouldn’t stop NIL efforts, fund raising, outside coach evaluations and player retention efforts. A good AD will have a constant list of candidates should the worst happen (coach dies, coach caught in scandalous behavior, coach quits/retires/has medical issue.) and be involved in working on the future of the program and everything involved in getting there.

 

[alabama mike]

I m not trying to be a smart butt with this reply but I think it is whenever the AD and president make the decision that a change has to be made. In some cases a change in mid-season is the right choice and other times a change has to be made at the end of the season. Waiting until the end of the season, kind of puts you in a log jam because so many other teams are looking for THAT coach. Currently, LK is holding Ole Miss hostage because he can stay or flee to LSU or Florida. I just know that it is a difficult decision to make and it probably has a lot to do with a gut feeling from the AD and President. Just my opinion.

 

[24and7]

It depends on whether the players hate or care about the coach...Napier and Franklin should have been fired at the end of the season..Kelly's and Freeze's firing was about right & proved beneficial..Taking the pulse of the team matters..

 

[UAgrad93]

I think you have to check the temperature of the team and your boosters. If your players start “checking out” a la the coach is losing the respect of the team, you might better be getting your list out, because when the coach loses the players, then the program loses the boosters, ie your money/life line.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

They know whenhired. Its a zazor edge....
Napier was saddled with #1 toughest schedule. Week after week...would he succeeded with ole ms or Missouri schedule...
Kiffin sitting there with easy ( relative i know) ......may not have made it thru floridas...
And...Sark...given pretty easy sec schedule.....and still 9-3...8-4...

When right time. ... when year shot anyway. But hiring an interim.
How does that help. Especially if they have some success...and now its "fish or cut bait"

Durkin AU team beats Bama.... he probably gets job... but is that an upgrade....or reactions...he wasnt successful Maryland ( i think). Why would he be at AU..
Is he top 10 caliber HC candidate that AU is looking for...or good DC...
Thats the "mid year firing...and turning over to an interium " effect ...can be negative

Best thing...mid year .probably work for lsu....Arkansas....maybe Florida
Probably not for AU ..
Everyone wants kiffin..according to writers...who dont know...good luck