Billy Napier explains how he evaluates players already on Florida's roster

The Florida Gators have undergone major changes in the offseason. Florida hired Billy Napier as its new head football coach, and the entire coaching staff has been completely revamped. Part of Napier’s responsibility as a new head coach is to evaluate the players that are already on Florida’s roster. That is a process that Napier and his staff are still working through.

Napier has brought in a few players from Louisiana, his previous school, to Florida’s roster. But for the most part, he has inherited most of his players. He understands the delicacy and importance of the evaluation process of those players.

“I think it’s a lot of dialogue, it’s a lot of conversation,” Napier said on how he evaluates the Florida players that he hasn’t coached yet. “Certainly, you’re not just evaluating a guy from a physical component. You’re evaluating, what is his history on the field from a production standpoint, what is his history as a teammate. What is the consensus amongst the people in the building about them as people. Certainly they’ve got a track record academically.

“And some of these players we have history with where we knew them from the past. But I think the big thing here is that we’ve got to establish working relationships. We’ve got to establish trust and communication within all the areas of the organization that work with the player. Some of those areas, those come to the forefront this time of the year.”

Napier emphasizing individual development on Florida’s roster

Florida went 6-7 in the 2021 season, which was disappointing given the expectations. The Gators lost to UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl.

As Napier continues to put his staff and procedures into place, he has emphasized individual development for each player on the Florida roster.

“We will begin working with the players as a staff after national signing day when we kind of move into phase two,” Napier added. “But I think that we’ve had a kind of 13-day approach here. All these areas have been meeting with the players. It’s really taking kind of an IDP approach. An Individualized Development Plan. I think that’s important. Part of what we do in each one of these areas, we’ve hired really good people and they’re off to a good start.”

Napier and Florida will not have to wait long to face their first challenge next season. In Week 1 on September 3, Florida will face off against Utah, who made it to the Rose Bowl and won the Pac-12 this season. Florida then faces Kentucky in Week 2 and travels to Tennessee during Week 4.