Buddy Martin Blog: Who Is Billy Napier And Why Are They Saying All Those Nice Things About Him?

“This is a guy who coached with Nick Saban,” (Mike) Griffith whined sarcastically on the Finebaum show. “Well, HIRE HIM BY ALL MEANS! It comes with a kit. You go out and hire 100 coaches. And here’s how your practices are run … Just add water and Florida sunshine."

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There’s a joke going around that Billy Napier’s statue may already be molded in clay, even though he is yet to coach a game at Florida. Will they start polishing up the bronze before the Gators have finished spring practice and tee it up for the opener vs. Utah on Sept. 3?

The Great Humpty Dumpty Fall of Dan Mullen may have left Gator fans in semi-shock, but since the hiring of Napier in late December, the hopes and dreams of Florida football are on the rise and on the mend. A fresh coat of cautious optimism is emerging. Almost universally, Napier is being hailed as the perfect replacement.

Is this guy too good to be true? This is the University of Florida, where high expectations go with friends in high places, despite the fact that The Swamp is a mere 152 feet above sea level. Perhaps it’ll take a minute until at least they’ve beaten Florida State again on Nov. 24 to finish 7-5 in his first season before they start on the fourth statue.

You get the point: Absurd infinitum! My late friend Dan Jenkins, perhaps the greatest sportswriter to ever grace a press box, once said of Florida football back in 1990, “They have the arrogance of Alabama … and the tradition of Wake Forest.”

At Florida, they always exalt their coaches -- and if expectations aren’t met, they eat them for breakfast with their Cheerios. Ironically, only Steve Spurrier, who named The Swamp, ever got out of it alive.

Remember, the week before the famous 2020 “LS-Shoe Game,” Mullen appeared on the precipice of claiming a Final Four spot. I thought he had a shot. In retrospect, with the benefit of 20/20 vision about the 2020 season, the program was apparently being held together with chewing gum, baling wire and Jim McElwain’s recruits.

So I felt it incumbent upon me this time to ask others for their pre-snap reads on Napier before I formulate my own. In recent days I’ve polled some of the smartest football minds in the media for their reaction.

From that first day we began trying to figure out: Who is this guy? (Chris Spears photo)

Let me be clear: I love the Napier hire. Everybody I’ve talked to – players, coaches, fans, writers – sees a bright future with him. And nobody – Nobody! – has found any flies on Billy Napier. But again, he’s still 0-0-0.

In fact, the only person to even question the hire early on was the sometimes-acerbic Paul Finebaum. Florida beat writer/analyst Allan Taylor recalled being on Finebaum’s show earlier this year when Napier was being considered for the Florida job; the SEC Network host had some serious doubts.

“Paul likes to be combative, and that makes for good TV,” Taylor told me. “And that day he said, ‘why Napier? He got passed over for the OC job at Alabama. Things didn’t work out at Clemson … so why is he the guy that’s going to save Florida football?’”

Finebaum is singing a different tune these days. In my poll among key media asking for adjectives that currently best describe Napier, Finebaum texted me: “Incredibly impressed with his immaculate attention to detail. He is one of the most organized coaches I’ve encountered and believe he is off to a phenomenal beginning.”

Later in the day Thursday, as a guest on the Finebaum Show, I asked Paul the reason for his changed attitude: “I think I was just being an antagonist, in all candor,” Finebaum said of the Taylor comment. “What changed my mind was getting to know him better … But I came away stunningly impressed with his organization, his meticulousness, his attention to detail…. And to me that is a stark contrast with some of the coaches we’ve seen…”

One basis for Napier’s ample political capital is his swift decision-making and how quickly he addressed issues through keen organizational skills. Right away, his players responded on social media – like when linebacker Derek Wingo tweeted, “Man, I got my own parking at the stadium and good food all day long. Life is great! #GoGators”

The manner in which he assembled nearly a 45-plus person staff of highly qualified people has also brought big kudos. With the funds flowing, Napier was able to lace together an extremely talented staff of 10 coaches plus another 30-35 members of a support staff.

“His off-field group is even more impressive,” one national reporter told me, “and that’s not to downgrade his coaching staff, because he hired some outstanding coaches.”

The result is that he’s gotten the attention of recruits that weren’t paying much mind. As Jay Markle of gatorswire.USAToday wrote: “By all accounts they’re putting on an impressive display of unity as recruits meet with the staff…” In other words, those 4- and 5-stars who previously couldn’t find Gainesville with a GPS, flashlight and a map are suddenly scheduling visits.

The words I kept hearing from the A-list of media experts were flattering … “genuine” being suggested by one or more.

“Meticulous,” was echoed by former Gator QB Shane Matthews and current talk show host. “Analytical …researcher …”

Bill Sikes, a writer/analyst whose work often appears in Gator Breakdown, told me he believed that the level of benign neglect of overall discipline for the Mullen staff and players was inexcusable. He was among those who began criticizing the leakage of top recruits before the Great Fall of Mullen.

“Methodical…” Sikes said of a Napier trait he likes. “A method to his madness. He really knows what he wants … checks all the boxes. He’s a leader, but not like an ‘Alpha’ who yells and screams,” noted Sikes.

“‘Precise delegator,’” were the words of 247 Sports’ Branden Marcello. In fact, when it was presented to him that most likely Nick Saban, Jimbo Fisher and Kirby Smart would dominate the SEC in future years because of their coaching, recruiting and rich resources, asked Marcello what other team might have a puncher’s chance in the next two or three years, he quickly blurted: “Florida … because of Billy Napier.”

Gannett columnist David Whitley of the Gainesville Sun recently spent 30 minutes with Napier and came back impressed. Whitley offered as his description. “‘Placid,’ but in a good way. He is well-grounded and uses his faith to get firm footing – he starts his day by reading the bible.”

Whitley was quick to point out that there have been highly successful coaches who were not strong in their faith, as well as “some good Christians who failed.” But he said faith plays an important role for Napier’s stabilization of the program.

“Focused … Real Deal … Serene … Excellent Communicator … Understated,” were other words that surfaced from a variety of people.

It was generally agreed that Napier had a strong coaching game, but he was characterized as placid and somewhat low-key in personality.

David Moulton of the Miller & Moulton Show said “architect” to describe Napier’s coaching personality. “Because he’s building the program a certain way, as he did at Louisiana. And he’s doing the same thing at Florida.”

Talk show host Rob Browne of Sidelines praised Napier’s attention to detail. “Mechanical engineer,“ said Browne.

So all he had to do was add water and stir with sunshine? Really? (Chris Spears Photo)

I mentioned how ironic it was that Napier’s very first mantra that drew a strong reaction from Gator fans, the bold mantra “Scared Money Don’t Make Money.” That he has turned out to be more like a Sunday school teacher than a river boat gambler might surprise some people – but it pleases many.

Even Finebaum reversed his field, so that leaves zero dissenters on Napier. Check that: There was one. Mike Griffith of Dawg Nation (there’s a surprise!), calling Napier’s program a ripoff.

Mike Griffith: The Lone Dissenter (File photo)

“This is a guy who coached with Nick Saban,” Griffith whined sarcastically on the Finebaum show. “Well, HIRE HIM BY ALL MEANS! It comes with a kit. You go out and hire 100 coaches. And here’s how your practices are run … Just add water and Florida sunshine.”

While he’s at it, Napier could borrow the blueprint from Kirby Smart, who used it to win the first national championship for Georgia since Herschel. Georgia. The team that Griffith now loves to chirp about.

OK, that’s fair. Napier does not deny that he is emulating, “The Man In The Straw Hat,” as he refers to Saban. Not a bad program, or coach, to emulate. As Kirby found out.

You might also criticize Napier for hiring so many coaches from Louisiana Lafayette, I guess, or staying behind during critical Florida recruiting time to coach his team in the conference championship post-season game. Except, you know who else did the same thing when he arrived in Gainesville from Duke? Steve Spurrier.