Billy Napier on the 'great opportunity' the rest of the season presents for Florida

It’s been an uneven season for Billy Napier in Year 1 at Florida, but the Gators can finish 2022 strong with a couple of wins.

Speaking with the media, the Gators leader elaborated on the “great opportunity” the rest of the season presents for his team.

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

“I don’t think we think in that regard, we’re still, we’ve got a lot of individuals that are working, trying to improve their best,” stated Napier. “We’re very much a team of individuals, not only players but staff members that are trying to do it better than we’ve ever done it before. The collective effort of that, I think you’ve seen certain parts of our team improve, and the team improve as a whole. We’re searching for improvement, and I don’t necessarily think in that regard.

“We all understand the importance of each game, and the momentum and opportunity that we have in front of us. So I think we view it as a great opportunity that we can take advantage of.”

At the moment, Florida is 5-4 and needs one victory to become bowl eligible in Billy Napier’s first season at the helm. It’d go a long way towards building the culture the freshly-minted Gators leader hopes to build, but time will tell how the program finishes the season.

Billy Napier says Florida is ‘getting closer’ to turning corner

Coming into the 2022 season, new Florida head coach Billy Napier knew he would have a rebuilding season on his hands. To this point, there have been ups and downs as the Gators transition to a new era. Now, Napier feels that Florida is getting closer to turning that corner.

While speaking to the media, Billy Napier explained what he has seen that lead him to believe Florida is approaching that turning point.

“Getting closer. I really believe that,” Billy Napier said. “I think to go three and out, to get a big punt return to put a touchdown on the board, you know, I think when we had lost momentum right there at the end of the half.”

“So, I mean, I think what I’m seeing is kind of what I described after the game. That human element. We’ve spent a ton of time on scheme, fundamentals, situational football. We lift weights, we run, we focus on all different forms of development, physically,” Billy Napier said.

“Okay, but I think that team dynamic, you know, the quote-unquote culture or the brotherhood. However you want to describe that. The expectation from each other, right? The accountability at the player level. Actually, I’m not necessarily worried about my coach getting on me, but I’m worried about letting my teammate down. I think there’s a place in this game for an elite team, you’ve got to have that, and I think that’s what we’ve been working hard on. Starting to see some of that show up, I think.”

Florida’s next game is against South Carolina. With a win, the Gators would become bowl eligible.