Billy Napier explains firing Corey Raymond, Sean Spencer

Following the regular season, Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier explained the decision to move on from defensive assistants Corey Raymond and Sean Spencer.

Napier explained that the changes were part of leadership and he felt it was the right time to make a change.

“I think part of leadership is making tough decisions and I think that, ultimately, we felt like we needed to make changes there,” Billy Napier said. “New voices, new leaders, new teachers. Those are tough. A ton of respect for Sean and Corey. They’re exceptional at what we do but we felt we needed to make a change and certainly excited about the new faces we’ve been able to add.”

Corey Raymond coached the defensive backs for the Gators while Sean Spencer was the team’s defensive line coach. Spencer has since taken the same position with Texas A&M.

“This is a production business,” Napier added. “We all understand that. Ultimately, it’s part of leadership.”

Billy Napier was then asked if the staff changes may have led to players choosing to flip their commitment away from Florida. However, he said that he didn’t think that the Gators actually lost any players at those two positions on signing day. One reporter suggested Xavier Filsaime, but Napier didn’t see him as a National Signing Day loss.

“Filsaime, but I think that was in the works prior to making that change. I do think that we were able to get commitments at those positions as well,” Napier responded. “So, I think there’s a little bit of both there, if that makes sense. Ultimately, the position coach is part of the equation, but it’s not the end-all, be-all. I think this cycle probably proves that. We may have lost one player, but we also added players at those positions. Good question.”

Since the decision to move on from Corey Raymond, Billy Napier has replaced him with Will Harris. He was previously the Los Angeles Chargers secondary coach. Florida replaced Sean Spencer by hiring Gerald Chatman as the Gators’ next defensive line coach. He was previously at Tulane.

Billy Napier calls Graham Mertz a ‘big piece’ for Florida moving forward

Moving into the 2024 season, Billy Napier expects veteran starting quarterback Graham Mertz to be a big piece of the puzzle moving forward for Florida.

“Graham’s a big piece to the puzzle, not only the production on the field but also just the leadership element. He spent last spring competing for the job. Probably a little bit more reserved in that regard but this guy proved himself on the field as a competitor,” Napier said.

“(He) really set a standard for how to work. Very professional approach, extremely smart. I think he won over our team. For him to be back is huge going into what we all know is a tough league.”