Billy Napier admits he's been a fan of Utah offensive coordinator, attack

There’s nothing wrong with admiring your opponent from afar on a game film – and Florida head coach Billy Napier had no problem admitting that he’s a fan of Utah‘s offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig and the major contributors to his offense.

“I think they have a fantastic system on offense,” Napier said. “They’re balanced. Obviously, the running backs are returning – this is a well designed running attack in my opinion. I admire the brand of football that they play on a number of different surfaces. Obviously do a good job of designing the [game] plan, either or, it’s well thought out.

“Their coordinator [Andy Ludwig], I’ve watched this guy for a long time. He’s good at what he does, and he’s got a quarterback that can make the [right] decisions, so there’s a reason why they’re well thought of going into the season. The number of returning players that they have [at] offensive line, tight end, running back, receiver, and most importantly, the quarterback, so they present a lot of challenges for you on offense.”

Tavion Thomas rushed for 1,108 and a school single-season record 21 touchdowns last season, doing that in essentially 10 games. Micah Bernard is a proven commodity as fourth-year sophomore, not to mention Utah’s best pass-catching option out of the backfield.

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There is a lot excitement around the program for Jaylon Glover to debut as a true freshman. The room is deep enough where capable veteran LSU transfer Chris Curry, and redshirt freshman Ricky Parks, a former four-star recruit, are barely visible on the depth chart thanks to the immense talent Utah churns out at running back each season.

Quarterback Cameron Rising also contributed in a huge way to the rushing attack, finishing fourth on the team at the end of the season with 74 rushes for 499 yards and six touchdowns. Through the air, Rising completed 204 of his 320 passing attempts for 2,493 yards and a 20-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

The game between the Gators and Utes is slated for 7 p.m. ET inside the Swamp at Ben-Hill Griffin Stadium on Sept. 3. ESPN will carry the national broadcast.