The Florida Gators are reportedly set to hire Louisiana's Billy Napier to replace Dan Mullen as the program's head coach.

SOURCES: Louisiana’s Billy Napier is expected to become the next head coach at UF. A deal is likely to be done this afternoon. As we reported yesterday morning he was the Gators clear front runner. Napier had been patient in recent years l looking for the right opportunity.

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) November 28, 2021

Napier, a former Clemson and Alabama assistant, has done a tremendous job during his four seasons as Louisiana's head coach.

The former Arizona State offensive coordinator has gone 39-12 since the start of the 2018 season. That includes two 11-win seasons.

Turning a program like Louisiana into a perennial winner is an impressive achievement by Napier. That's why I think this is an extremely solid hire by Florida.

But I don't think it's a hire that should scare Tennessee.

Here's why:

Napier is still a massive unknown. We have no clue how he'll fare in the SEC. Look, we've seen numerous coaches have success at the Group of Five level only to fail at a Power-5 program.

Scott Frost went 13-0 at UCF in 2017 after reviving a program that was on life support. Nebraska hired him after the 2017 season. Frost has gone 15-29 in four seasons as the Cornhusker's head coach.

I thought Frost was a sure thing. After watching him fail at Nebraska (though he still has time to turn it around), I'm going to be in "wait and see" mode with every other coaching hire that's made.

Another coach that has me in "wait and see" mode is Chip Kelly. He's struggled at UCLA after turning Oregon into a powerhouse. I thought he was a sure thing, too.

What I've learned, however, is that there are no sure things in coaching. These hires are all gambles.

When Florida's coaching search started, there was one name that I thought should scare Tennessee fans.

Lane Kiffin.

Kiffin has done a great job of turning Ole Miss around. If he went to Florida, he'd be a thorn in the side of Vol fans for years to come. His innovativeness combined with his ability to recruit could've potentially returned Florida's program to the top of the SEC East.

Billy Napier's outlook at Florida is uncertain at best

Napier could end up being the best coach in the SEC. Or he could be a total bust. No one has a clue right now how it will turn out.

Before the season, I think most folks would've taken Mullen, a coach coming off an SEC East division title, over Napier.

Just a few months later, though, and the perception of those two coaches has massively changed.

Who's to say the perception of Napier won't be totally different a year from now?

Featured image via SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK