Where CBS ranks Florida Gators' Billy Napier among SEC coaches
On Thursday, CBS Sports’ Barrett Sallee dished out his SEC coaching rankings and the University of Florida’s Billy Napier came in at No. 11.
The Gators, who boast the No. 3-ranked recruiting class for the 2024 cycle, finished 6-7 during Napier’s first season at the helm. And due to having to replace several key starters, including top-five draft pick Anthony Richardson, Florida could produce similar results later this year.
Below is Sallee’s review of Napier with summer camp just around the corner.
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“Billy Napier (43 overall): Napier posted a lackluster 6-7 record in his first season in Gainesville after taking over for Dan Mullen, and that hasn’t resonated within a fanbase that demands nothing short of division title contention. However, he has been on a recent recruiting tear, giving fans at least some hope. He reeled off double-digit win seasons in his final three years at Louisiana (2019-21), so the potential is there. Last year: 9 in the SEC.”
Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, Vanderbilt’s Clark Lee and Mississippi State’s Zach Arnett came in at Nos. 12-14, respectively.
As for the winners of this discussion, Sallee tabbed Alabama’s Nick Saban as the top SEC coach for the second consecutive year. Georgia’s Kirby Smart, LSU’s Brian Kelly, Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin and Tennessee’s Josh Heupel close out the top five.
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“Nick Saban (1 overall): Saban not only built a dynasty at Alabama, he maintained one for more than a decade. His success in the era of scholarship limits, massive recruiting budgets, NIL and the transfer portal not only places him atop our rankings, but in the debate as the best coach of all time,” said Sallee.
“285-69-1 overall, including a 194-27 mark in Tuscaloosa, and established the Tide as the gold standard off the field in the world of recruiting. Last year: 1 in the SEC.”
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“This season is going to test a lot of people’s patience,” the coach told Athlon Sports. “[Head coach Billy] Napier was never going to be Steve Spurrier, and he inherited probably the least talented overall roster in 20-some-odd years at Florida. There’s a reason they ran off [Dan] Mullen, and it wasn’t about his record. The lack of winning on those top guys [in recruiting] is starting to show up on the field. … It could really be trial by fire for [defensive coordinator] Austin Armstrong with that schedule because this is such a far cry from the level of defensive talent they had with [Will] Muschamp.
“They have some depth at running back, and you can see where Napier wants to build along that plan and schedule he had at Louisiana, but are people going to be patient enough for that? The bottom line is that this roster doesn’t look like it’s from the state of Florida, and you can’t fix that in two offseasons when you play in the SEC.”
Stay tuned to Gators Online.
