Billy Napier weighs in on NCAA proposal allowing analysts to coach

When Billy Napier took over at Florida, he installed an eye-brow-raising number of analysts. That led to the Gators team photo going viral, with more staff than players. Now, the NCAA is considering a change that could lead to those analysts coaching.

In essence, the NCAA is considering a proposal that would allow off-field staff to coach players during the week. However, it’s not likely to pass, per On3’s Matt Zenitz.

Still, Napier expects that change is going to happen at some point in the near future. He just thinks that it’s going to have to come with a period of transition first.

“I think the big thing is here that there’s going to need to be some prep prior to that,” Billy Napier said.

“You know, that’s a huge legislation issue. So, for them to spring that right now, is that healthy? I don’t know. I think you’re going to see that probably get announced and then you’re going to see a six-month period for people to prepare for that, if that makes sense.”

Billy Napier did insist that he thinks this change will be a good thing for the full-time coaches who are currently struggling with their workload.

“So, I think that day is coming. I really do and I think it’ll be beneficial for all involved. I think there’s a lot on the plate for a full-time coach. You know, we’ve got the second tier now, but there’s some limitations relative to not being able to give instruction on the field. So, their workload is — they’re doing a lot to help the pace of the job and the life-work balance and all those things, but I do think there’s more that we can do and I think they’ll continue to see that. But, yeah, I think it’s just a matter of time in my opinion.”

Of course, Billy Napier isn’t the only head coach to have given his thoughts on this change. That includes Mack Brown, who is incredibly frustrated with the current rules. He said, “We all think the NCAA should allow everybody to coach because it’s a rule that they can’t enforce, and it’s broken in most of the universities across the country.”

Billy Napier says the best is yet to come

After an up-and-down first season with Florida, there is pressure on Billy Napier to produce in year two. He’s also ready to take that next step forward.

“The competition has the same amount of time we have. Time is equal. The work is the work, right? There’s no way around the first year. I’ve said this until I’m blue in the face, but there’s no shortcuts. You gotta go through it. You gotta embrace it. And you gotta learn from it. You’ve gotta grow,” Napier said.

“We adjust everything that we do to the environment we’re in, to the group of people that we’re working with and the dynamics that we’re competing in. We quality control every part of our year and every little niche, we get better. We add people, we subtract people — staff and players. There’s some attrition you don’t want and then some healthy attrition.”