Florida Scott Stricklin Billy Napier.

Even though Florida has retained a search firm to help land the school’s next football coach, athletic director Scott Stricklin says he will have final say in the hiring process. And he won’t be in a rush to get it done. Thanks to new NCAA legislation, teams that fire head coaches during the season no longer trigger an open window for players to enter the transfer portal. So the Gators have weeks, maybe even months, to find Billy Napier’s replacement. Stricklin says “time is an asset.” Tweaked rules allow Stricklin to wait for other coaches to finish their regular seasons or even potentially exit the College Football Playoff.