Billy Napier addresses what would mark success for Florida in 2023

Florida had a pretty subpar season in 2022 by its standards, with the first year of the Billy Napier era ending with a 6-7 record. But what would success for Florida in 2023 look like?

Napier backed out all the way big picture when asked that very question.

“I’m not into comparisons on rebuilds,” Napier said. “I think that we have been tasked with not just being competitive here, we want to accomplish significant success big picture. We know what this place is capable of.

“I think what we try to do is get consumed with the impact that we can have on the player as a person, as a student, as a football player. We want to teach a set of values. We want to develop the player as a person relative to what he can accomplish when the game is over.”

In other words, success for Florida in 2023 might not be measured by wins and losses. Of course, eventually it will be. Gators fans won’t sit idly by for long if there isn’t tangible progress in the wins and losses column.

For Napier, though, focusing on the player is the first step in building a winner on the field.

“We’re going to prioritize education for the player and then we’re going to teach football at a high level and develop football players that make up our team,” he said. “Then we’re going to be process oriented, system oriented and we’re going to get really good at those processes and systems. Those things ultimately will affect the end result.”

Napier’s process certainly worked at Louisiana, where in four years he built the Ragin’ Cajuns into a consistent winner.

That’s what he sold Florida’s administration on doing, and he hopes to continue to demonstrate that with Florida in 2023.

“There’s a number of things that affect result, right?” Napier said. “And we all want to talk about results and what results matter, but ultimately for us goes back to what I just said. We plan our work each day, we work our plan, we get consumed with the details that we know will affect the result and ultimately we’re in the middle of that process.

“This is evaluation, it’s recruitment, it’s development, it’s building a team, it’s leadership, it’s accountability, it’s fundamentals and techniques, it’s communication, it’s how we practice. All, I mean I could go on and on about all the things that affect whether we win or lose, but ultimately I think you’ve got to get consumed with each day and what that entails. That’s what we’re in the middle of doing.”