Brian Kelly heaps high praise on Billy Napier, notes their similarities

LSU coach Brian Kelly views his and Billy Napier’s paths to SEC jobs as very similar. Both guys had to grind out success with lower-tier programs to keep taking steps up in the coaching world. Kelly’s coached at the top level of the sport for far longer, but remembers what it was like to finally land a job at program that contends nationally, as Napier has.

Ahead of the annual rivalry of SEC East and SEC West foes, Kelly was asked about Florida’s Billy Napier and his stature as a college football coach. To which Kelly referenced the places he stopped along the way and explained how Napier had likewise proven himself at other programs prior to taking the Gators gig.

“You know, certainly did a great job at Louisiana. And look, I know the climb, right. Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, Cincinnati. You have to do so much more with less. And he did a great job and put a consistent winner out there. You have to be creative, you have to be willing to take chances, you got to put together a great staff, you have to build great relationships. He’s done all those things.”

Make no mistake about it, says Brian Kelly, Napier is a worthy SEC coach, even if he’s only in his first season.

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“He’s at this level because he’s earned it. He didn’t do it because he got lucky. And he’ll do great at Florida. He’s a great hire for Florida. So, got a lot of respect for what he did. And again, you can see that we both have the same challenges. We’re rebuilding our rosters. We run into each other in recruiting as we’re trying to build up the depth on on our teams. You can see that. We’re out there in the recruiting world. So that’s probably where we’ll see each other a lot over the next few years.”

Assuming both coaches continue to succeed beyond this week, Saturday could mark the start of a brand new and contentious era of the Florida-LSU rivalry.