Billy Napier downplays optics of viral team photo, applauds staff

Billy Napier is confidently standing by the recent team photo of the 2022 Florida football team, his first in Gainesville. The 2022 Florida team photo has been getting panned on the internet since popping up this week, mostly due to the apparently outsized number of staff relative to players.

One Twitter account actually tracked down a photo of the 2007 Florida team, which featured significantly fewer non-players. But Napier did not run from the criticism, instead pointing out that it was an opportunity to highlight the many, many people who make a college football program tick.

“Well, actually, we try to make a concerted effort to involve everyone in the team photo,” Napier said on Wednesday afternoon. “You know, including all of our student workers. All the people that contribute to some degree to our operation. So I think maybe that’s got a little inflated out there. You know, I do, I am excited about the infrastructure that we have. And that’s made up of a lot of different components. Obviously the players, but leadership in each area of the organization. Full-time employees, right. I also think we have about 85 undergraduates that contribute to our team as well. In the equipment room, video, training room, personnel, OCR and strategy — we’re calling that group the ‘G Unit.'”

Florida’s staff in 2007 vs. 2022. pic.twitter.com/lVB6argLoQ

— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) August 23, 2022

Napier continued, emphasizing that the actions of everyone from equipment managers to nutritionists to the coaches and players have a role in whether Florida will win or lose. He wants those people who don’t get to play in front of cheering fans to have some shine.

“We had about 85 of them in here last night,” Napier said. “We had kind of an appreciation dinner that Wawa supported and provided the food for. You know, it takes a team. It truly takes hundreds of people to put a good product out there on game day and I think we want each person to take pride in their role, realize they can make an impact, and they may very well be the difference. So, I think the team photo is a reflection of that.”

And the first-year Florida head coach even managed to find a little humor in the whole situation. He was asked about how first-game prep is at Florida compared to his previous stops like Lousiana and Alabama. Napier couldn’t resist the urge to point out that Florida’s SEC west counterpart has a plenty big staff, too.

 “I was joking with the ops guy there,” Napier said, “you guys just hide them all in the building on team photo day.”