Billy Napier on handling NIL: 'We want players using football, not football using players'

Billy Napier recognizes NIL is still uncharted waters in college football. As he enters his first season as the leader of the Florida Gators, Napier spoke about the variables of the system as the football world expands the concept.

“I think there’s a ton of variables here, relative to the transfer portal, name, image and likeness. I believe it’s our job to equip the players, and it’s our job to educate the players,” started Napier. “It’s our job to use any and all resources that we have to help the players. I don’t necessarily — there’s pros and cons of this.

“Ninety-eight percent of the players in college football, 99% heck, they’re not going to play in the National Football League. And this is an explosive, entertainment business that we’re apart of, in reality. So there’s a lot of positives for a guy that comes to the University of Florida. He’s a starter, he’s a significant contributor. I mean, the amount of time, effort and energy that these guys put into doing what they do right to represent this place. Being a loyal teammate. The physical work, the mental work, the time. I think it’s positive that these guys can benefit from that.

“But I do think that we’ve got to be careful here. That we’re not making short-term decisions that may affect their future. There’s got to be, it’s part of the decision, but it’s not all of the decision.”

Evidently, Napier believes NIL should be part of the decision to attend a certain school, but not the entire decision. Continuing, the Gators coach highlighted some impressive perks regarding the University of Florida.

“I mean, you come to the University of Florida, you make a decision to come here, you’re going to attend a top-five public university,” started Napier. “You’re going to have an alumni network that’s 415,000 strong. That can position you for success, that you can network with — that will really, the more people I talk to, the more we realize that they’re going to benefit from that the rest of their lives. You talk about the Hawkins Center, the resources that we provide there to be competitive as a student, combined with the Gator made program. Which is all about life after football.

“It’s about a holistic approach, it’s about leadership development, character education. Creating experiences for the player, so that their perspective changes on life. Their approach changes while they’re a student. We want to have a place where we’re using football, and football is not using them, does that make sense?”

Finally, Billy Napier knows that Florida needs a specific plan to utilize NIL, or their competition will beat them to the punch.

“I think NIL is another part of our organization, and it’s one that we need to have a very specific plan,” stated Napier. “And there’s no question that it’s part of the competition now. It’s part of the package, part of the decision-making process.

“So, I don’t think it should be the sole reason that a young man chooses a school, you know I think there’s got to be something about being on a team. The passion for the game, and the experiences and the people that you meet along the way. We’re fortunate that we have an incredible product to sell here. I’ll say it again, I think NIL is going to be a strength to the University of Florida. To go along with all these other things that I just talked about. We play in the SEC, we play in the most competitive conference in all of football.

“If you can do it here, you can do it anywhere. So again, I think it’s going to be a strength to the University of Florida.”