Billy Napier owned the week.

Depending on what (and who) you believe, Louisiana's head coach is the axis on which much of the coaching carousel is currently spinning. While there are certainly major jobs like USC and Washington where Napier doesn't (seem to) factor, there's a growing network of good CFB gigs where the G5 darling is at the center of the speculation:

TCU: The Horned Frogs pursued Napier in between separate conversations with SMU's Sonny Dykes. At one point, TCU felt convinced that its offer to Napier would be accepted but will likely end up on the pile of schools that previously felt like they had a shot. Don't feel too bad if you're a Horned Frog — about half the SEC is on that list with you. Expect Sonny Dykes to be the name here.


LSU: When Ed Orgeron was fired in October, the prevailing thought was that A.D. Scott Woodward would poach his longtime friend, Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher, whom he hired to that position when he was in College Station. Fisher is staying put, so LSU has moved on to names like Michigan State's Mel Tucker and Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley. Napier is the wild card here because old guard LSU boosters don't want to hire the coach from lowly Louisiana, but Napier's stock is rising as Woodward keeps searching.

Virginia Tech: Is Napier the reason that Tech pulled the trigger on Justin Fuente this week instead of waiting for his buyout to drop in December? If Napier ends up in Blacksburg, yes! If not, of course not! That's the game: You never admit to a swing-and-a-miss publicly. The reality is that Tech has a strong candidate pool, but it would score a huge coup if it could get Napier to the ACC.

Arizona State: This job isn't open … yet. Herm Edwards has overseen a strong rebuild of the Sun Devils, but not without a circus atmosphere and a run-in with the NCAA over COVID lockdown violations. If the job opens, it's considered to be a favorite of Napier's (he was the offensive coordinator in Tempe before coming to UL).

After multiple offseason cycles of Napier's darling status, this year seems like the logical end. Surely, surely, the most sought-after rising coach in the South will leave the Sun Belt for a Power 5 gig. Surely.