Liam Coen is preparing for his first season with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He took the job in January after just one year across the state as offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This will be his debut season as a head coach.
Billy Napier, head coach of the Florida Gators, is also gearing up for the 2025 season. Over three years at Florida, Napier has compiled a 19–19 record. He arrived in Gainesville following a highly successful run at Louisiana, where he went 40–12 overall and 27–5 in Sun Belt Conference play.
On Friday morning, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ social media team shared a post featuring a meeting between two of Florida’s head football coaches. Napier stopped by to visit Coen in Jacksonville ahead of the new season. The caption on the post read:
"Gator boys stay hot #DUUUVAL"
The unexpected meet-up sparked a range of reactions online. Most fans responded positively, with a few standout comments:
"WTG" was exclaimed here.
a Gator fan wants the Jaguars to come to town: "Come play in Gainesville in '27!"
"Collab of the century for guys like me," says this fan.
An excited fan says: "Love it. Doug would have never," referring to former coach Doug Pederson.
Another Gator fan says: "Life is complete."
Here, a Gator and Jaguar fan loves the connection: "I love this for obvious reasons."
Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier.
Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier.
Matt Bush-Imagn Images
One of the most notable connections between the Florida Gators and Jacksonville Jaguars is legendary running back Fred Taylor. The University of Florida Hall of Famer played for the Jaguars from 1998 to 2008, scoring 62 rushing touchdowns and adding eight more as a receiver. He spent his final two NFL seasons with the New England Patriots, playing in 13 games.
During his college career, Taylor helped lead Florida to a national championship in 1996. He followed that up by earning third-team All-American honors and a first-team All-SEC nod in 1997.
The Jaguars will kick off their regular season on September 7 at home against the Carolina Panthers. Meanwhile, the Florida Gators open their season a week earlier, on August 30, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium against Long Island University Sharks.