Buddy Martin Blog: Billy Napier's First Key Word Of New Florida Football Narrative Is 'Humility.'

Photo by Chris Spears

"Why am I here today?

I'm here to encourage

you. I want you to

know you have a role.”

—Billy Napier.

When he clutched the hand mic and addressed Florida Gator football fans directly for the first time, Billy Napier began his biggest pitch as a Recruiter/Coach. It was an invitation to those at Exactech Arena to “come be a part of our program.” An altar call, if you will, for fans already there supporting the basketball team. So Napier was preaching to a congregation and choir that was already baptized.

However, it was more than just a Wednesday disciples gathering for Napier, who was also about to write the first paragraph of the new Gator football narrative. For weeks now the storytellers have been picking up breadcrumbs along the trail, hoping to knit together some kind of accurate portrait of the University of Florida’s 28th head coach.

Upon first glance Wednesday night, Napier was impressive in his debut. According to the Floridagators.com’s Scott Carter, who was in attendance:

“The crowd roared when the 42-year-old Napier was introduced and gave him a standing ovation. When it was time for Napier to say a few words, he urged the fans in attendance to keep the energy up in the second half, and when football season arrives, to make their way over to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to help out in his first year on the job.”

Napier told the fans: “Why am I here today? I'm here to encourage you. I want you to know you have a role. You're a member of the team. You're going to contribute to our success. We are going to need the same energy next fall in the Swamp."

The first paragraph of the new draft of the Florida football narrative was thus written when he told them: “That’s enough about me. Listen, I want everybody to know how humbling that is. I want you to know how important it is to me to represent you the right way … I wish that my wife Ali and my three kids could have been here to experience that moment right there.”

The honeymoon period is about to begin. Of course there’s a caveat here, remembering that it was four short years that Dan Mullen was introduced in the O-Dome as Florida’s new head coach, following that up with 21 wins his first two seasons. By the time Mullen had amassed 29 wins vs. just six losses, they were making room in the trophy case for him to be commemorated as one of Florida’s all-time greatest coaches. Let the good times roll! And then suddenly he wasn’t.

Instead, before Thanksgiving week, the program went into a free fall when Mullen fired two trusted aides, only to be fired himself a few weeks later.

You know the rest. Scott Stricklin went out and got his man, the fourth Gator coach in 11 years, and that feeling of a banana republic football program crossed our minds. All the while, Nick Saban was winning almost 150 games and collecting titles like green stamps (millennials, ask your grandparents) for those 11 seasons. So you understand while Gator fans now long for continuity and longevity.

If you’re just reading tea leaves, scanning resumes and listening to some of his former colleagues, Billy Napier comes off almost as a potential rock star. But this is Florida, where there has been more famine than feast for the past 11 years. And what looked like an ascent back to the top a little over a year ago crashed and burned. We are left scratching our heads about why.

While we’re not recommending that Scott Stricklin should be making room for a statue or a place in the Ring of Honor just yet, this Billy Napier guy seems to be resonating with the Gator Nation in a short period of time. Certainly help appears to be on the way.

Graphic Courtesy of FloridaGators.com

There’s a new joke going around Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and the football offices: “Get your new roster of Florida football’s Army right here! You can’t tell the coaches and support staff without your program! Players? We’ll have to get back to you on that in few months.”

By one estimate, just Napier’s new coaches and “support staff” alone will number at least 78. He accurately dubbed it an “Army” long ago and before it’s over they may need a pentagon-sized building to hold the work force. It wasn’t that long ago that the scholarship players on the football roster wasn’t as large. I hear the hottest new items in demand are work space and a parking place.

“All of a sudden, we’re spending a lot of money around here,” said Steve Spurrier. “Especially when it involves recruiting.”

I asked Spurrier what his list of coaches and support staff looked like when he came to Florida in 1990. He laughed.

“I was asked if we had a nutritionist,” the HBC mused. “And I said, ‘yeah, me!’” He said his self-styled job was to walk around the training room and tell his players to ’put something green on your plate.’”

Seems like of the 30 or so already hired at UF that a large portion of them hail from Louisiana. So I’m wondering if the new nutritionist(s) will be putting a lot red on their players’ plates. Red, as in Louisiana hot sauce.

I’m trying to decide if the best new business opportunity in Gainesville isn’t to open up a new Cajun restaurant on Archer Road – maybe a Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille II? If not that, then perhaps a moving company to bring in the rest of the 78-person Army of new employees?

As we follow the new Orange & Blue Brick Road, looking for clues about this new Florida football regime, there is cautious optimism, buffered by the reality of what we have just witnessed: A total collapse.

All week long on The Buddy Martin Show (Facebook 9 p.m. M-Th) I’ve asked guests and experts to help me write the first paragraph of the new Gator football narrative. Doing his best to shun the spotlight, Napier has tried to keep himself away from being the program’s focal point, with comments like he made to the O-Dome audience:

“You will quickly find this out, it's not about me,” Napier warned the crowd. “It's going to be about our football team.”

Well, not really Coach Napier, but we get your drift. The key word to that new draft is what he emphasized: Humility. While admirable, however, the truth is whether Billy Napier likes it or not, he is the face of the program.

One reason is what nobody else’s face comes to mind yet because we don’t know which players will make it to the field – or even who all will be coaching them.

Certainly the massive “Army” that he has formed gets our attention. And while we are familiar with names like Mike Peterson, Corey Raymond, Vernell Brown and Paul Pasqualoni, the Napier “Army” is so large that they don’t even know each other yet.

Going by their reputation, the latest hires of Auburn director of football operations Josh Thompson and USC wide receiver coach Keary Colbert were widely praised by other football people. It does appear that Napier has transported his entire staff from Louisiana, including Assistant Head Coach/Director of Football Strength & Conditioning Mark Hoche, Co-defensive Coordinator Patrick Toney, Assistant Offensive Line Coach Darnell Stadium – plus the rumored addition soon of New York Giants Offensive Line Coach Rob Sale. And a lot more.

Let’s get back to the reality of what it’s really about – the players. The main reason Napier is here, essentially, is because Dan Mullen took the Great Fall and began to lose his grip on recruiting. One reasons for the big $5 million budget line item for his “Army” is to shore that up.

Rob Sale of the NYGiants: Is he next? UAA Photo

While there have been a couple of pleasant surprises, like 5-star safety Kamari Wilson of IMG Academy, the jury is still out on how Florida will fare in a few weeks on the second national signing day -- the good news being that there appears to be a small shift in attitude.

News that safety Trey Dean has taken his name out of the transfer portal was a badly needed boost. And it may not be over yet. Word is that Kaiir Elam is considering the same move.

Is there enough time salvage the program with what Napier calls the “acquisition of talent” through the transfer portal? The best that can be said is that the Gators and Napier are “trending” in the right direction. There is a good vibe buzzing after the Napier appearance at halftime of the Alabama basketball game. The message of “humility” has been delivered for the narrative. I suppose that the next line Gator fans want to hear is, “Lights! Camera! Action.” The Billy Napier Show is about to be on the air.

Meanwhile, the Mullens sweat... (Dan Mullen Tweet)