Billy Napier: Florida will stay in normal routine despite altitude change at Utah

The Florida Gators will open the 2023 season at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City — SALT LAKE CITY, UT- OCTOBER 1: Members of the Utah Utes and the Oregon State Beavers play the second half of their game October 1, 2022 at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/ Getty Images)

Florida is less than a week away from its season opener against No. 14 Utah, and preparations have begun in earnest. Among those preparations will be the altitude change in Utah.

The Gators have studied the potential impacts of the altitude change quite a bit.

“The altitude, we’ve spent extensive time researching that relative to our sports science and our training staff,” coach Billy Napier said. “All indications tell us to go stay in your normal routine. It really takes 10 days to get adjusted. Get in, get out. We’ve met with a lot of NFL teams regarding that. We feel good about our plan.”

Without 10 days to get acclimated, Florida will simply have to deal with the altitude change in Utah. It won’t be easy.

Particularly not when you look at some of what Florida will be fielding in the trenches. The Gators have a whopping 26 players that tip the scales at 300 pounds or more. That’s a lot of mass to move in a thinner atmosphere, where breathing can become a bit more difficult.

Napier, though, seemed relatively unconcerned.

“I think we have a good plan,” he said. “I think it’s more about the football. I think the altitude, obviously everybody likes to talk about that, but coach (Kyle) Whittingham‘s teams and the way they play football have been ultimately more important than that. I think he’s done a fantastic job creating an identity for his team that’s allowed them to be consistent.”

Altitude change in Utah or not, time is running short on preparations. Florida and Utah will kick off on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.

The Utah-Florida Thursday night game is getting prime treatment from ESPN

The top ESPN college football crew of Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe will be out west as Florida travels to face Utah on Thursday, Aug. 31, according to Gators Online’s Nick de la Torre.

The 2023 matchup is a return game from Utah’s trip to Gainesville in 2022, where the Gators won, 29-26, via an interception late in the fourth quarter. Now any similar drama will be scored by a Fowler call and some Herbstreit analysis.

The matchup between Utah and Florida is also one of the best games in the ESPN inventory for Week 1 until LSU and Florida State play on ABC on Sunday. The FSU-LSU game in 2022 was called by Joe Tessitore and Greg McElroy.

On3’s Andrew Graham also contributed to this report.