Napier spent the final 4 years on the College of Louisiana-Lafayette. The previous ULL coach is targeted on the College of Florida model and recruiting.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Billy Napier has spent loads of time teaching inside and out of doors the SEC.
You do not have to remind him of the duty that comes with being atop the College of Florida soccer program.
“I am unable to inform you how humbled I’m the historical past, the custom of the enduring coaches and gamers which have been part of this program are unmatched. That is actually one of the vital particular locations in school soccer,” Napier mentioned at his introductory press convention on Sunday.
Napier signed a sturdy seven-year, $51.8 million contract. The previous Louisiana Lafayette head coach will name the offensive performs. His teaching workers may even embrace two offensive line coaches.
“We’ll assemble our workers on either side of the ball and put a premium on the road of scrimmage,” Napier mentioned.
Napier inherits a program with lots of query marks, primarily on the recruiting path. Florida has struggled to land high in-state recruits for fairly a while, one thing Napier needs to alter.
“Our proximity to participant is a direct benefit so our capability to get these younger males and their households on our campus. If we won’t signal 25 good gamers on the College of Florida then you definately’ll be in search of a brand new coach,” Napier mentioned.
Florida has struggled to land five-star recruits as nicely. Napier is not apprehensive about rankings as a lot as he’s about participant analysis.
“I feel it may be extra about analysis, we’ll undergo a really thorough analysis course of. We will rent a military of individuals,” Napier mentioned.
Throughout earlier stops at Alabama and Clemson, Napier helped recruit top-tier expertise reminiscent of Calvin Ridley, Jerry Jeudy, and Tajh Boyd. Napier has little time earlier than the early signing interval begins on Dec. 15. The brand new Gators coach is taking a practical strategy to his first massive job.
“We will consider the state of affairs this week, you possibly can anticipate us to be very conservative attempt to place us for post-signing day. Once we do have our total workers and group put collectively place ourselves for some actually sturdy weekends in January after which attempt to shut sturdy in February,” Napier mentioned.
Persistence is on the core of Napier’s recruiting philosophy and it will not change on the College of Florida.
“For me, I feel it is essential in recruiting that either side perceive one another and have had time to construct relationships. To totally perceive what the plan is, I feel it goes each methods in that regard,” Napier mentioned.
Napier’s father, who died from ALS, was his largest idol rising up. Because the twenty eighth College of Florida soccer coach soaked all of it in Sunday, he mirrored again on his early days together with his father.
“He taught me life’s about folks and I feel we play an ideal recreation, it is recreation of individuals and about folks,” Napier mentioned.
