“SOURCES: Billy Napier will be the next head coach at James Madison. A five-year deal is being finalized with an announcement coming after Friday’s Sun Belt championship game,” wrote Chris Vanini of The Athletic on X.

Things did not end well for Billy Napier with the Gators, but his strong head coaching record remains notable. In 2021, he led Louisiana to an unforgettable 13-1 season, which helped him secure the job with Florida at the time, and now he is returning to the conference that first launched his career.

Why did Napier leave Florida?

Napier’s departure was triggered by a series of poor recent results. The 2025 season started poorly with a 3-4 record. While this may not be the worst record, it is unacceptable for a program like Florida. As Will Backus and Matt Zenitz detailed for CBS Sports, Napier was expected to lead the Gators much further this season.

“But an early upset loss to South Florida knocked Florida out of the rankings entirely and precipitated an early three-game losing skid for the Gators. A stunning win against No. 9 Texas wasn’t enough to save Napier, who left Gainesville after four seasons and a 22-23 overall record.”

What will Napier’s salary be at James Madison?

Napier’s exact salary with James Madison is not yet known. With Florida, he was earning just over $7 million annually on what was supposed to be a seven-year, $51 million contract. In contrast, James Madison’s former head coach, Bob Chesney, recently had a salary of $833,495 per year.

In 2014, Maddison got his first opportunity with Coventry City. Two years later, on February 2016, Norwich City paid his transfer fee, but, the forward was loaned back to Coventry. Then, in August of that year, James Maddison was loaned, yet again, to play for Aberdeen in Scotland.

Undoubtedly, the breakthrough moment for James Maddison came in the 2017-2018 season when he returned to Norwich City and became the best player of the team. That’s why on the summer of 2018, Leicester Citygot him. This semester he had been just phenomenal with the Foxes, but, Maddison could miss the World Cup in Qatar with England.

Will James Maddison miss the World Cup with England?

In an incredible and unfortunate turn of events, James Maddison scored the first goal for Leicester City (8’) on this Saturday’s Premier League matchup with West Ham. Then, just 17 minutes after that, the forward had to leave the pitch because of what seemed to be a hamstring injury.

Now, England will have to wait for how serious is the final medical diagnosis. The Three Lions make their debut in the 2022 World Cup on November 21 against Iran. If Maddison is out because of his injury, manager Gareth Southgate will have the chance to replace him. Though the 26-man squad has been announced, FIFA allows changes if a player gets a serious injury. That can be done 24 hours before the first game of the tournament.

Athletes know that they’re nothing without their fans. And unlike most people, they have plenty of cash to try and make a difference. More than that, they have a platform to help inspire others to come forward and also help.

That was the case with Leicester City star James Maddison, who recently made a big donation to help a seven-year-old cancer patient fulfill her lifelong dream of going to Disney World.

Leicester’s James Maddison Has Incredible Gesture With 7-Year-Old Leukaemia Patient

(Transcript via Mirror)

“James Maddisonhas helped a brave child battling cancer achieve her dream of travelling toDisney Worldin Florida. TheLeicesterCity midfielder, 25, made a generous donation of £2,500 to help Violet, a seven-year-old suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, reach her goal of £20,000.

Violet, from Halesowen, has been fighting the disease since last April and she will be undergoing chemotherapy until 2023. It is her dream to travel to Disney World, the world-famous resort nearOrlando, and she has been fundraising for her trip since November.

Once the holiday is paid for, Violet’sGoFundMe pagestates the leftover funds will be donated to Birmingham Children’s Hospital.”

Maddison Inspired His Teammates

Notably, Maddison’s donation and interest in this story inspired some of his England teammates to come forward as well, helping Violet raiseover £26,000 from nearly 600 people in record time:

“Maddison’s Three Lions teammate Tyrone Mings donated £2,000 while Robert Snodgrass was one of many West Bromwich Albion players to contribute alongside Dara O’Shea, Jordan Hugill and others.

Maddison’s intervention on Monday helped the fundraiser come to fruition, although he faced backlash on social media for make his donation public.”

That’s the kind of news we always want to read about.