Napier was 6-7 during his inaugural season at Florida. Guess what? Last month, Florida State softball player Kaley Mudge testified before congress, calling for more equity in regard to NIL opportunities and funding for women's athletes. During a hiring cycle in which Oklahomas Lincoln Riley and Notre Dames Brian Kelly were willing to move, Stricklin prioritized an up-and-comer. Offensive guard OCyrus Torrence became the third Gator drafted in the 2023 National Football League Draft Thursday. GAINESVILLE Quarterback Billy Napier boarded the school bus hoping to hold his own against the older kids. It was the conscious decision to absorb their styles and the parts that seemed authentic to him: a commitment to organized workflow, to acquiring resources for improving scouting and personnel development. He was highly rated as a recruit, but nowhere near cant-miss status. Lets have the best team that money can buy, and teach our teenaged athletes that selling out is the American way. Napier isnt just pulling lower-level recruits, hes battling head-to-head with the big dogs of college football, and hes winning. A unique young man and unique story and couldn't be more happy for him and his family. 247Sports Tom Loy predicts Keeley will commit to Alabama. Things started off great when Florida upset No. Probably the best thing to ever happen to him, Lamb said. VIP. Get notified about exclusive offers every week! (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File), Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson (15) scrambles for yardage during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Vanderbilt, Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack), Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson (15) rushes for a 45-yard touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack), Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson poses for a portrait during the NFL Scouting Combine, Thursday, March 2, in Indianapolis, In. Arm talent, phenomenal athlete. By Ethan Budowsky. pic.twitter.com/QYKbr1I3sI. This meal-prep favorite is a staple in my house. Following a Friday night game, Coach Napier sent Rainey and a fellow assistant to scout a possible playoff opponent in Gainesville, Ga., 80 miles away. Napier recalled his third year at Clemson when Dabo Swinney promoted him to offensive coordinator and joked about his age at the time: He [Swinney] walks in there and tells me Im firing the OC. What churches (Baptist? From a Sun Belt defensive assistant: They run the stretch plays and do a good job of finding the right running backs and recruiting athletic linemen. It had extensive advertising on ribbon boards at The Swamp in an effort to get the new brand name out and ask fans to donate. Less than seven months into his tenure as head coach of the Florida Gators, Billy Napier penned an open letter to Gator nation. 1:11 VIERA Florida football coach Billy Napier knows he has a tall task in front of him. I thought he was instrumental in starting a Catholic school. Its hard for everybody on the team to feel like thats our guy, but Billy could fit in with the linemen, he could fit with the DBs, he could fit everywhere. However, you have to trust the architect. "The more people we can get engaged helping our athletes, the better the experience those athletes will have with NIL and it's going to give the University of Florida a huge leg up on the people that we go out there and ask our young people to compete with, compete against on a regular basis.". I am a really good judge of character and I said, Coach Napier, you are a really food dude, she remembered. He was highly rated as a recruit, but nowhere near cant-miss status. 0:06. He has been elected to the Furman Athletics Hall of Fame, a nod to the UF coachs playing days. thatguy Moderator. Florida Gators coach Billy Napier recalled when he first recruited standout offensive lineman OCyrus Torrence. He will make $7.1 million in his first season and get a $100,000 raise annually His office at Lafayette featured NFL helmets of the high draft picks he coached or recruited at Alabama college stars such as Amari Cooper, Calvin Ridley, Cam Robinson and Trevon Diggs. So far, only seven of their combined 21 teams at the bigger jobs have ended the season ranked, with five of those top-25 finishes belonging to Malzahn on The Plains. Napier, who led an Has Gainesville really grown to 340,000? An initial target for the Gators, Keeley is the top-ranked defensive end in the class and a Tampa native. Rather it was Napiers detailed assessment as to why each new position is necessary and beneficial. Hes not only succeeding outside of state borders, but hes also focusing on the talent in the Sunshine State. His coaches mostly recall a galvanizing and authentic personality, traits that make him a productive recruiter today. I had been told that he was easy to be around, and he was., Stricklin left with a direct message: I wanted Billy to know that he was a priority for us and I wasnt looking to line him up against a bunch of other candidates.. If I can have the opportunity to run your program, I wont talk to anybody else, well shut it down, and well come to Gainesville.. Nevertheless, I do agree that high growth is continuing and should factor into planning and zoning laws. You can tell they have an expectation to win, a Sun Belt assistant coach said. Napier inherited a thinner-than-usual cupboard at Florida, and his Louisiana tenure But Florida actually came across as family, said Kim Boardingham, the mother of current freshman tight end Arlis Boardingham. Napier threw two interceptions in the national championship game when the Paladins lost 13-6 to top-seeded Montana. Ive seen kids like him who have kinda stayed the same over their career, but that guy has matured and grown in the program., Lewis was among eight super seniors in the starting lineup who opted to spend their extra season at Louisiana, which culminated in a Sun Belt championship on Saturday. Readers comment on proposed zoning changes, the Supreme Court and more, Readers comment on a forum for local candidates, preventing COVID-19 and more, Readers comment on the benefits of high gas prices, COVID-19 vaccines and more. She worked with her and she brought her along. Gators offensive line reshaping. 863 Views. Florida was best because they say the word family everybody says family in all the visits (to the different programs) its family, family, family, family. Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson (15) rolls out of the pocket to throw a pass during an NCAA college football game against Missouri, Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, in Based on their voting records, none of the outgoing commissioners should be elected to any office. Napier and his kids enjoyed all of the fun at the All Pro Dad event in Gainesville. This is the inside story of how the Colts, collectively, decided on Anthony Richardson as the right quarterback to select with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Gainesville, Florida Population 2021 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs), (You must log in or sign up to reply here. Florida fans wanted to immediately compete with the Georgias and the Alabamas of the world, but thats not how a rebuild works. Coach Golden said one of the main reasons for bringing Green on was to restore some passion to the program: Ultimately, when Golden spoke to Green, he knew it was a done deal: As Coach Golden wrapped up his Q&A session, heads began to turn to the back of the room: the man of the hour had arrived. Its a real family, its real.. Relax. The Gators finished 6-7 in Napier's first Sticking with the Ragin Cajuns last week for their first Sun Belt title was a rewarding sendoff for Napier and his players, even though it cost him a week of recruiting at his new program. USA TODAY Sports columnist Blake Toppmeyer put together his rankings of the five SEC coaches feeling the most pressure ahead of the 2023 season, with Napier coming in at No. A month later, when Todd Graham was looking for an offensive coordinator at Arizona State, Napier won the gig. Coach Napier speaks at a basketball game, January 2022. Almost to a man, the prospects and their families come away from Gainesville glowing about everything that transpired. His rise into an SEC head coaching job couldve transpired a year ago, according to sources familiar with the South Carolina and Auburn searches. All rights reserved. After conquering the hard part learning all the names Lamb witnessed Napiers process for delegating duties and motivating staffers to attack their assignments. Poe's column poses, however, an issue of moral ambiguity; Poe seeks via zoning to redress what he perceives as systemic racism in Gainesville's housing structure and culture. Ms. Boardingham meant it both literally and figuratively. Hes got these young, eager kids who are fresh out of college, and they work their tails off, Lamb said. 1. Photo by Tim Casey, courtesy of FloridaGators.com. Though Graham was fired after that 2017 season, incoming Sun Devils coach Herm Edwards reportedly planned to retain Napier as offensive coordinator until he pursued the Louisiana opening. Napier, before we came there, he came to my job in Port St. Lucy. generate the same blockbuster NIL deals as LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne. All rights reserved. This wont be "That's absolutely correct," Costa said. He coaches the coaches when they watch all the practice tape together, Lamb said. BILLY! Eighteen of the 20 commits in the 2023 class are four stars, only trailing Notre Dame who has 19 for the most in the country. On Nov. 27, minutes after Florida beat Florida State 24-21 to become bowl-eligible at 6-6, Stricklin thanked the team for being focused on the rivalry game. The city and county should aid Newberry and Alachua as they become alternative urban centers instead of trying to make Gainesville like Miami/Tampa/Orlando. But Napier is the one that drives the boat. Very rarely in your career do you coach a player that you would say that guy impacted me just as much as I impacted him.That guy right there is unbelievablethats why you coach.. There will be dudes in the portal. With the hiring being finalized Sunday afternoon, Mondays meeting became anti-climactic. Additional guidelines for submitting letters and longer guest columns can be found at bit.ly/sunopinionguidelines. Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson (15) rolls out of the pocket to throw a pass during an NCAA college football game against Missouri, Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, in Gainesville, Fla. Florida defeated Missouri 24-17. Speculation also brought us the biomass plant. The Florida football program has the right general in charge. This guy's best football is in front of him. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Buchholz High (Gainesville) for talent, and the latest name to catch the teams eye is defensive lineman Kendall Jackson.. Swamp247 is reporting that Jackson will be in town for an official visit on June 2 and is also set to visit Kentucky a few weeks later on June 16. Instead, the 7th-grader stood out. All rights reserved. Furman quarterback Billy Napier scrambles against Montana during the Division 1-AA championship in Chattanooga, Tenn., in December 2001. He was going to be proactive, Sorrells said. Napier had to backtrack to just get Florida into a semi-competitive state after the last guy left the program with next to nothing. (Scott Clause / Montgomery Advertiser via USA Today). Amid the optimism that radiates from a hire, Stricklin seems particularly comfortable with the union. The reset involved asking to join Sabans support staff at Alabama as an analyst. He talked briefly about some of the opportunities hes attempting to create for players off the field. Napier says Richardson received feedback from 10 teams that viewed him as a first-round pick. Im just not the same guy.. All rights reserved. [My father] could tell that it was getting to meIts killing me. 2/27/2023. "I think what you're seeing here is the Gators aren't going away on the recruiting trail, Napier said. He was brash and thought he knew it all, and that really reset him.. He spoke about his family first, giving thanks to his wife Ali and then showing a photograph of his three kids. That's the time Napier stepped from a van that carried his wife, their three kids and his mother, and into a throng of cheering fans ready Really just a unique talent.