Billy Napier recalls what he learned amid COVID season, changes

Billy Napier enters his third season as the Florida head coach this year, but prior to his top in The Swap, he was the head man at Louisiana for four seasons. Making him one of the several head coaches across the country that had to deal with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Napier’s Ragin’ Cajuns finished the 2020 season with an impressive 10-1 record, adapting to the adversity of an unpredictable season and ending the year as the No. 15 ranked team in the nation. Recently speaking about what lessons he learned from that season that have carried over to his gig with the Gators at SEC Meetings.

“I think we probably learned some things through COVID. From efficiency standpoint all parts of what we do in football had to be evaluated and I think we learned how to do more with less to some degree,” Napier explained. “I think that’s allowed us to be more efficient certain times a year.”

“This spring an example would be instead of coming back off the road every week, we went every other week, and we were able to meet on Zoom a couple times.”

Across all industries, everyone was forced to adapt during 2020. With many learning and carrying with them those adaptations that worked best into present times.

But one of the major repercussions in collegiate athletics from the COVID-19 pandemic was an added season of eligibility for student-athletes. Which particularly impacts Florida this year as starting quarterback Graham Mertz returns for his sixth college season as a result.

“But the thing you mentioned there, Graham Mertz having a sixth year, that’s the story of the offseason,” Napier said, “That’s where the offseason started. Graham Mertz is the leader of our team, we’ve got a returning starter who in my opinion, is one of the best quarterbacks in the country.”

Mertz spent the first four seasons of his college career at Wisconsin before transferring to Florida. Now entering the 2024 season as one of the most experienced quarterbacks in college football with 42 career starts under his belt. Displaying a level of maturity and leadership that Napier has been a fan of this offseeason.

“And he starts the offseason in a different place, he’s an established leader on the team. And I think he earned the respect of his teammates and our staff with the way he competed, his toughness, his grit, and he’s on a mission. That’s helped our team in a major way,” Napier concluded.

Many believe that the Gators have one of the toughest schedules in the country in 2024, and it will be fascinating to see if Mertz can rise to the occasion and lead Florida to an improved season following three straight three-win years in SEC play under Napier.