Is Louisiana Ragin' Cajun head football coach Billy Napier going to be a candidate for the head coaching position at South Carolina?

One highly respected football website seems to think so.

FootballScoop lists Napier as one of five early candidates for the position, which became vacant on Sunday, following the dismissal of former South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp, one day after the Gamecocks fell to the Ole Miss Rebels, 59-42, which dropped them to 2-5 on the season.

Really, while this might get people talking, it doesn't really mean a whole lot.

First, Napier has done a fabulous job as head coach at Louisiana for the last three seasons, guiding the program to an overall record of 25-11, including an 11-3 record last year, setting a single-season school record for wins, as well as a 7-1 mark and a current top 25 ranking (#24 in AP Poll) this year.

Second, Napier has served as an assistant coach at such Power Five schools as Alabama (2011, 2013-2016), Arizona St. (2017), and Clemson (2006-2010).

In other words, he has a great resume and is one of the top young head coaches in the entire country. Many schools would have a serious interest in Napier, such as was the case last year, when many said Mississippi St. had a serious interest in him.

Finally, Napier has South Carolina ties, as he played his college football at Furman, before coaching stops at South Carolina St. and Clemson.

The only surprise would be if South Carolina doesn't seriously consider Napier.

As long as the Cajuns continue to have success, Napier's name is going to be mentioned in coaching searches. Again, it happened last year with the Mississippi St. opening and is already apparently happening this year.

Napier obviously likes it at UL, otherwise, he would have gone someplace else after last season. So, just because another school is interested doesn't necessarily mean he's going to leave.

We've all seen what has happened in coaching searches over the years too. Most of the time, the name of the coach that winds up eventually getting the job wasn't even listed among the early candidates.

And while FootballScoop is a highly-respected site which does a great job, this is only speculation, just one day after a change was made. Time will tell.

In the meantime, take Napier's name being mentioned for coaching openings as something to be expected, and as a compliment if you're a fan of the Cajun program.

Best MLB Players Not in Hall of Fame

More From 1130 The Tiger