Gators head coach Billy Napier is greeted by UF Athletic Director Scott Stricklin on Sunday when he arrived in Gainesville after four seasons as head coach at Louisiana-Lafayette. (Photo: Jordan McKendrick/UAA Communications)
Gators Notebook: Napier Aims to Build 'Elite' Program, His Catchphrase, More Gators Tidbits
Wednesday, December 8, 2021 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The College Football Playoff is in its eighth season, and you don't need to be Rece Davis to know the two programs that have dominated the era.
They are synonymous with Saban and Dabo – Alabama and Clemson. Top-ranked Alabama is headed to the CFB Playoff for the seventh time, while Clemson, not part of the four-team playoff this season, has appeared six times. Oklahoma and Ohio State have each made four appearances.
Gators head coach Billy Napier worked for Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney. He learned from the two most successful coaches of the past decade. During his time coaching receivers at Alabama from 2013-16, Napier went to the CFB Playoff during its first three years (2014-16). He earned a championship ring in 2015.
Alabama and Clemson have been those programs in the playoff era to consistently rank among the best of the best. Napier's job is to lift the Gators into that elite neighborhood. Florida has yet to earn a CFB Playoff berth.
"I want to commend the administration for their willingness to invest in our vision to create an elite player experience here,'' Napier said Sunday during his introductory press conference. "We will have elite toughness here. We will have an elite work ethic here. And we're going to operate with great class, and we're going to do things with integrity."
Gators head coach Billy Napier checks out 'The Swamp' on Sunday when he held his introductory press conference. (Photo: Anissa Dimilta/UAA Communications)
Napier's choice of the word "elite" on multiple occasions Sunday revealed the vision he has for a program that is 6-6 heading into the Gasparilla Bowl matchup against UCF on Dec. 23. The 42-year-old Napier showed great patience in today's coaching landscape when he passed on other opportunities in four seasons at Louisiana.
He waited for an opportunity that offered the chance to become elite. The Gators fit the bill, something he knew without needing to take a trip to campus before accepting the job offer.
"You're going to figure out I'm a football junkie. I'm well aware of the history and the tradition here,'' Napier said. "This is one of the few places in the country — you're talking about a championship culture. We're talking about it's been done multiple times. I think one of the interesting things here is the success all the other teams in the athletic department have had. It's unprecedented and unmatched.
"So, lots of our teams have been able to have success. Our football program has had success. We're very capable. Now we've just got to go do the work."
NAPIER'S CATCHPHRASE
The five words strung together are familiar to poker players. They are now familiar to even casual Gators football fans.
Courtesy of Napier, of course.
In Louisiana's 49-14 win over Ohio on Sept. 16, Napier decided to go for a touchdown from the 1-yard line with only seconds left before halftime. The Ragin' Cajuns led 14-3 at the time.
On the headset to his assistants, Napier used the old investment phrase "scared money don't make money" to explain his decision.
He used the same expression during a TV interview after Louisiana scored on the play. The clip soon went viral on social media.
It's been a heck of a ride Ragin' Cajun fans.
Napier will still coach the team this Saturday in the Sun Belt Championship. A perfect opportunity to fans to show up & support the team & thank Napier and his staff for putting together the best winning percentage in school history. pic.twitter.com/KWxbpqIiJc
Napier didn't expect the phrase to gain so much attention. Now, it's known as his mantra in the college football world.
"I'm never going to live that down,'' he said. "I think growing up playing cards, lots of different types of poker, I've heard that many times and all of a sudden it comes out of my mouth on national TV."
EIGHT COUNT & MORE
In explaining his organizational calendar, Napier broke down the year into eight phases: "foundation, identity, spring practice, discretionary period, summer regimen, training camp, in-season and postseason." Billy Napier
Napier immediately started building the foundation with the hiring of four associates from his Louisiana staff in associate head coach/director of strength and conditioning Mark Hocke, co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Patrick Toney, running backs coach/associate head coach Jabbar Juluke and offensive analyst Ryan O'Hara, who will coach quarterbacks with Napier.
Napier provided more insights into his operation Sunday, saying he plans to call the plays and help coach the quarterbacks. Napier's background is on offense. He played quarterback in high school and college and has been an offensive coordinator at Clemson, and position coach at Colorado State, Arizona State and Alabama.
Napier said he plans to have co-offensive line coaches to teach and develop.
"I think it gives us an advantage, in my opinion,'' Napier said. "We're one of the only teams in the country to have two offensive line coaches [at Louisiana]. We'll have an offensive line coach and an assistant offensive line coach."
GATORS SNUBBED
The Southeastern Conference head coaches released their All-SEC teams Tuesday and no Gators showed up on the first- or second-team.
Not totally surprising for a team that finished 6-6, 2-6 in league play. But since the league's coaches started naming an All-SEC Team in 1984, this is the first season no UF player made the cut.
Fifth-year senior defensive lineman Zachary Carter had the best chance to make all-conference. Carter finished the regular season with 32 tackles, including a team-leading 11 tackles for loss and eight sacks.
In the transition phase of the program, an unfortunate but inevitable part of any coaching change, tight ends coach Tim Brewster thanked fans on social media for their support in his two seasons at Florida. Brewster is one of the current assistants reportedly not being retained …
Gator Nation had an absolute blast the last 2 years I loved every second‼️ Thank you @CoachDanMullen for the opportunity!! I am jacked about what is next!! The journey continues, God Bless and Go Gators!!🐊🐊
Others reportedly on their way out as of this writing are secondary coaches Wesley McGriff and Jules Montinar, defensive line coach David Turner, and quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee … Former Gators defensive back Vernell Brown, the team's director of student-athlete development since 2018, announced via social media he will continue on staff … Jacob LaFrance, director of player personnel at Louisiana under Napier, announced on social media he has joined Florida's staff … Former Syracuse head coach Paul Pasqualoni moved from his behind-the-scenes role into an on-field coaching spot after the departure of defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. Pasqualoni is probably best-remembered by Gators fans for leading his Syracuse team to an upset of Steve Spurrier's Gators in 1991 at the Carrier Dom. He joined former UF coach Dan Mullen's staff as a special assistant to the head coach in 2020. Pasqualoni is a football lifer and highly regarded in the game and at Syracuse, where he was recently inducted into the Greater Syracuse Hall of Fame. Congrats to the 72-year-old Pasqualoni … Dec. 14 is the 25-year anniversary of the night in New York City that Gators quarterback Danny Wuerffel won the Heisman Trophy. Check out a story on FloridaGators.com Thursday about how the Heisman has helped shape Wuerffel's life the past 25 years.
