Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — For the third consecutive Saturday night, Billy Napier will partake in the obligatory pregame chat with the opposing head coach when his No. 18 Gators host USF.

Napier has more conversation starters than usual this time around.

He and Bulls coach Jeff Scott know a thing or two about each other. They were young assistants at Clemson together from 2008-10.

More than a decade later, they meet as head coaches for the first time. While Napier is in his first season at Florida and fifth as a head coach, Scott is in his third season at USF.

More than anything, they are sons of coaches who followed in their fathers' footsteps.

"Jeff's a football guy," Napier said this week. "He's been in football families the entire time. His dad, obviously, Brad Scott, was a phenomenal coach and a great mentor to me early in my career."

Napier and Jeff Scott first met when Scott took a recruiting visit to Furman during Napier's career as a quarterback there. A few years later, Napier's coaching career got a hand from Brad Scott, the former South Carolina head coach who was a Clemson assistant when Napier joined the Tigers as a graduate assistant in 2003. Napier moved to South Carolina State for a season after his two years as a graduate assistant ended, then returned to Clemson as recruiting coordinator under Tommy Bowden.

In 2008, when Dabo Swinney replaced Bowden midway through the season, Napier and Jeff Scott were on staff together and promoted: Napier became the offensive coordinator and Scott took over as recruiting coordinator and receivers coach.

"I learned a lot from Billy as a coach, but really, I learned more about recruiting because he was the recruiting coordinator,'' Scott said. "Whenever all of the coaches went home, there were many late nights that he and I would sit in the office and talk about things we can do with recruiting strategy.

"He was a guy that I really looked up to, listened to. And then even after he left Clemson, we stayed in touch for many years. I've talked to him my first two years here and he was at Louisiana. There were a lot of calls there, just kind of asking him, even this summer, dealing with some of the things in recruiting and NIL and all the things going on. I called him several times this summer just to get his opinion on some things. He's definitely a resource and more than just a friend off the field." In his first season as Clemson's 30-year-old offensive coordinator in 2009 — the youngest OC in school history — the Tigers set a school record for points in a season. However, following the departure of several key players, including running back C.J. Spiller, the Tigers sputtered the next season, finishing 6-7 after losing to USF in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

A few days later, Swinney announced Napier had been relieved of his duties in a move that caught people by surprise at the time. Scott remained on staff and eventually became a co-offensive coordinator with Tony Elliott, who is in his first season as Virginia's head coach, during the most successful run in the program's history. Napier rebooted his career by joining Nick Saban's staff at Alabama.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since their days as colleagues, but the connection they share has been a focal point for the media this week as the two square off as head coaches for the first time.

They share deep mutual respect.

"Jeff's got great character,'' Napier said. "He was raised the right way. He has care for young people. He's in the game for the right reasons. I think he's got a program there where they're trying to impact people and use the game in a positive way.

"He's got a great offensive mind. He's very organized, very much a CEO — got a good business mind — and a guy that I think is one of the bright young coaches in the game."

Napier has split his first two games at Florida, while Scott has lost 19 of his first 23 at USF. Their programs are as different as their school colors, but when Napier and Scott reminisce before tonight's game, it will be like those late-night chats in the offices at Clemson when both were dreaming of days like this.

Just a couple of football guys doing what they love.

"It's one thing, as a coach, to have success and move your way all the way to the top,'' Scott said. "But Billy did really well at Clemson and then kind of had to restart and recreate his path. I think that says a lot about his resilience and who he is as a person. I think he is going to be very successful at Florida."