Billy Napier hits absolute bomb during team's Home Run Derby amid spring practice
Football can become a grind at times, so coaches often get creative with activities away from the field to keep their guys engaged. For Florida coach Billy Napier, that manifested in the chance to show off some serious home run power.
The Gators hosted a Home Run Derby during some down time in between spring practices at the team’s softball stadium on Monday. And Napier got his chance to flash the bat.
He did not disappoint. At all.
Multiple people captured Billy Napier blasting a home run toward the scoreboard in left center field, including staffer Katie Turner and freshman receiver Naeshaun Montgomery. It was a towering shot. Check it out below.
On Turner’s video, the camera pans to show a wide swath of Florida players hanging out in the stands taking in the day’s Home Run Derby. They certainly appear to be having a good time.
And why not, really? Florida has all kinds of momentum on the gridiron right now.
After a shaky start to the 2024 season — one that saw Billy Napier firmly on the hot seat after a 1-2 start — Florida finished with a bang. Quarterback DJ Lagway helped execute a major turnaround, with the team winning its final four games of the season, including a bowl win.
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That marked the best campaign yet for Napier at Florida. And he’ll have to build on that if he hopes to remain employed going forward. Standards at Florida are built around championships, and the Gators haven’t quite been on that level of late.
There’s little doubt, though, that with Lagway at the helm, Florida has the chance to be a championship contender. And if the team can develop the right mixture of chemistry, the talent is in place to do some serious damage.
Billy Napier did a remarkable job rebuilding a recruiting class that ranked in the 60s at one point in the fall last year to a top-10 type outfit. Can he guide the Gators to the promised land?
Time will tell. But if his swing Tuesday and his players’ enjoyment of it are any indication, Billy Napier will certainly give it a go.