Gators head coach Billy Napier instructs quarterback Anthony Richardson during the first practice of spring camp on Tuesday. (Photo: Leslie White/UAA Communications)
Gators Embracing Fresh Start Under Napier
Wednesday, March 16, 2022 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The rain drops falling on Gators players and coaches Tuesday night as they exited the team's indoor practice facility did little to dampen the enthusiasm.
This is spring camp, which offers eternal hope for fans that this is the year. The year that the former five-star recruit blossoms into an All-American. The year that the starting quarterback finally figures it all out. The year that the head coach makes all the right calls at key moments in the biggest games.
The same optimism sprouts from Southern Cal to Boston College, from Miami to Washington State: this year is going to be better than last.
But in the case of the 2022 Florida Gators, spring fever arrived a twist. Billy Napier is the posterboy representing the Orange & Blue faithful's trust in better days ahead. The 42-year-old Napier was introduced to Gator Nation in December to resurrect a program that took a hard left turn under Dan Mullen. Following a 29-6 start to his tenure, the Gators lost nine of their final 14 games with Mullen making the calls.
As the end approached, nothing went right for the Gators, who finished 6-7, splitting a pair of games under interim coach Greg Knox following Mullen's dismissal. Fast forward three months since a loss to UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl and there's a new quarterback whisperer in town.
You were reminded how new after Tuesday's practice, the first of spring practice for the Gators under Napier. With quarterback Anthony Richardson out of the bowl game following offseason knee surgery, Richardson was on the field Tuesday doing more than many expected. He was cleared by the team's medical staff on Monday to return to action.
Napier reminded the group of reporters that it was the first time he had seen Richardson throw a pass live.
"I thought 15 had a good day. I was impressed with what I saw,'' Napier said. "It certainly comes out of his hand really well. There's a reason why people think he has an opportunity to be a good player."
While there's undoubtedly a fresh buzz around the Gators, a familiar and significant storyline remains. The most interesting revelation Tuesday was from the quarterback who started ahead of Richardson last season. Emory Jones, after flirting with the transfer portal following an up-and-down season, said he was ready to see if the grass was greener elsewhere.
Quarterback Emory Jones looks to pass at practice on Tuesday. (Photo: Isabella Marley/UAA Communications)
"Basically, things went on last year that I wasn't really comfortable with, and I didn't want to be around that anymore," Jones said. "Honestly, I went in telling them that I didn't want to be here. I was really close [to transferring]."
But before Jones made a final decision, he talked with Napier and Ryan O'Hara, the team's offensive analyst for quarterbacks. They told Jones they had watched his film and liked what they saw. They told him if he stuck around, they could make him a better player. They encouraged Jones to talk to Levi Lewis, their quarterback at Louisiana Lafayette, to learn more about their approach.
Jones listened, and a couple of days before the team was to report for offseason conditioning, he opted to return.
"I just wanted to give them a chance,'' Jones said. "It's new energy, new culture, they teach things differently. I'm here. I'm committed. I've been working my butt off since offseason to try and get close to all the guys around here and for this team."
With Richardson and Jones starring in a familiar plot at quarterback, and newcomer Jack Miller III and redshirt freshmen Jalen Kitna and Carlos Del Rio-Wilson all taking reps, the quarterback competition is alive and well.
Meanwhile, based on the tone after day one, so is the team's attitude.
"There has been tremendous buy-in at the player level,'' said Mark Hocke, the team's director of strength and conditioning. "We met with each player individually before we got to work. We thought that would be good to create some rapport."
Hocke asked questions, and like Jones, he listened to the new faces in his orbit. He heard from some players that the small things needed to become important again. In the latter stages of Mullen's tenure, a common criticism from fans and media was that he ran too loose a program.
When the new staff arrived, all they had to go on was what they heard from the players. They stressed accountability, discipline, character and attention to detail once they gathered all their notes.
"We put a premium on that," Hocke said. "You might think, from a weight room standpoint, how you do a clean, or a power clean, or a back squat is really important. No, we want to know how you tucked in, do you have your jewelry, are you fit, are you in your dress code for the day, are you early, are you on time?"
The players took notes as well. They heard Napier's message and commitment to build team chemistry during what he calls the foundation and identity phases of his program.
"I feel like he has fixed that," Richardson said. "If you don't have the players in it and they don't want to be here, then you are not going to have a good team."
Napier has a team. His first one at UF. Whether it's a good one or not remains to be seen. What we know is that one spring practice is down, and 14 to go in the first camp of the Napier era. The Gators have barely broken a sweat.
However, they appear to have come out of the starting gate embracing the fresh start. That is a good sign.
"Practice performance is game-day reality,'' Napier said. "We're a long way from being game ready. If we want championship results, we've got to have championship practice. We've got to teach football. We've got to teach our formula in terms of how we win games."
