Billy Napier credits Kirby Smart for getting him hired at Alabama

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Six weeks after getting fired as Clemson’s offensive coordinator in early 2011, Billy Napier received a career-changing call from Nick Saban.

He asked Napier to join his staff at Alabama as an offensive analyst and picked him up “off the streets.” At the time, there was no history between the two coaches.

“I did not have a relationship with Coach Saban,” Napier said Monday. “We had a lot of people in the building that I had prior relationship with.”

Multiple assistant coaches on Saban’s staff who knew Napier vouched for him. Two of them were running backs Burton Burns and defensive line coach Chris Rumph, both of whom worked with Napier at Clemson.

The other staff member was defensive coordinator Kirby Smart.

“I wouldn’t have been at Alabama if it wasn’t for Kirby,” Napier said. “Certainly, his influence on that with Coach Saban, he had a lot to do with me being there. I will always be thankful for that.”

Napier said he and Smart didn’t know each other extensively, but their fathers did. Both were high school football coaches in Georgia whose sons played for them.

Napier served as the starting quarterback for his late father, Bill Napier, at Murray County High School, where he was the head coach from 1991 to 2006, winning 94 games (most in school history) and three region titles.

Sonny Smart was the head coach at Bainbridge High School from 1988 through 1994, where he coached Kirby. The elder Smart amassed a record of 44-30-1 at Bainbridge before coaching from 1995 to 2003 at Rabun County, where his record was 46-48.

“Our dads were high school coaches in Georgia. There was some familiarity there,” Napier said, “because of our dads being coaches, seeing each other on the road.”

Billy Napier impressed Kirby Smart early on

After Napier joined Saban’s staff, it didn’t take long for Kirby Smart to realize that he made a good recommendation on the hire.

Napier has often said he learned more at Alabama in 2011 than he had in the previous decade. Smart credits him for making the most of that experience.

Napier spent the following season at Colorado State before Saban rehired him as his wide receivers coach in 2013.

“I knew from the first time he got to Alabama he was going to be really good,” Smart said of Napier on Monday. “He paid attention to detail, he took a lot of notes, he was just really smart. You knew he was there to learn, and I think he capitalized on his time he spent there to look at football from a different perspective than maybe what he had looked at previously. And he was really successful at ULL, which is a great school, great location, a lot of good football players, but they won a lot of football games with him there.

“He’s very thorough. Extremely hard worker. Great husband and father, but he’s a good leader of men. … I’ve known him for a long time. One of the most intelligent coaches I’ve been around in terms of preparation and understanding what it takes to run a program and an organization. I think he does a fabulous job. I know a lot of guys on his staff. Got a lot of respect for him and being a high school coach’s son in this state. We grew up very similar.”

Napier studying Smart’s success at Georgia

Smart spent a total of four years with Napier at Alabama before Georgia hired him away. He went 8-5 in 2016 before three straight double-digit win seasons and a national title last year.

Napier has followed Smart’s career at UGA and how he built the program into a championship contender.

“Kirby is a heck of a football coach, man, you think about what he’s done,” Billy Napier said. “I’m going back and evaluating kind of each year. Year seven, what was year one, two, three, four, five for him like? He’s done a fantastic job.

“I told him that the first time I saw him at the SEC coaches meeting. Had just won the national championship and it’s pretty well documented all that goes into that. So, he is a competitor and certainly a ton of respect.”

As Napier looks at the big picture of Smart’s success in Athens, what jumps out to him?

“There is no shortcuts. I think that the same things I’ve said about where we are and what we need to do. It gives you good perspective about what’s required. It doesn’t happen overnight,” Napier said. “I think the key here is it’s one day at a time.

“Don’t get discouraged by continuing to make good choices and decisions and create good habits and good systems in house. Keep going about it the right way. Make sure you’re sound in what you’re doing, one day at a time, one person at a time, and ultimately that’s what we’re doing.”