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What Billy Napier learned from Nick Saban that can help Gators in 2023

Untitled designby:Nick de la Torre•07/20/23•

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Billy Napier is meticulous in his planning and note-taking. Everything the Florida Gators head coach does is recorded and filed away. A year from now, even five years from now, the coach could easily find notes from his time at Alabama, Clemson, or Louisiana.

“It creates consistency and you minimize error,” Napier told Andy Staples of On3. “I think half the battle is don’t make the same mistake twice. It’s one of the ways that we improve our process.”

Napier grew up in the game of football. His dad was a legendary high school coach and when Napier’s time playing the game was done, he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps.

“I can remember taking the job at Clemson and tell my dad like, Dad this is about the same amount of money that a good Georgia high school job would make. I think I’m going to give it a try,” Napier told Staples.

That was back in 2006 when Napier accepted the job as tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator under Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney. Napier spent five years at Clemson and got his first opportunity to call plays on offense. He went from Clemson to Alabama, where he spent five years working under Nick Saban.

“Obviously two of the better coaches in the history of our game, if not the best,” Napier said at SEC Media Days. “I would say that a lot of the things that you learn from those guys stand the test of time.”

What Billy Napier takes from Saban and Swinney

Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney have combined to win nine national championships and 19 conference titles. Swinney has turned Clemson into a National power and Saban will go down as one of, if not the best college football coach ever. Napier was young during both of those stops in his career but each of the coaches left an impression and allowed Napier to grow and learn.

“I think simple things like defining expectations, being really consistent and fair, everyone understanding their role, and you know, kind of putting the ego aside and working to earn more,” Napier said at SEC Media Days. “You know, I think they are good at what they do because they have conviction about what they want their football team to look like, right, and there’s a big picture plan relative to purpose.”

Napier has put his own spin on it. There are clearly defined expectations for every aspect of his program from player to staff. The ultimate goal is to win championships like Saban and Swinney have done. To do that you need to recruit, an aspect of the job that Napier loves.

“For me, our purpose is the player. We want to create a life-changing organization that has an impact on the person, the student, and the football player. I think we have learned those things,” Napier said. “I’m excited about some of the things we have implemented to do just that. So if we can connect the dots with the degree, the experiences that we can create for our alumni, if we can equip, if we can educate and teach and develop football players, we’ve got a great opportunity to do those things in the future, as well.”

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