Head coach Billy Napier has entered into his first game week at the University of Florida. Napier is now on the biggest stage in college football, but he’s not planning on letting the spotlight get to him.
“I think what I’ve learned over time is the important part is that how do you get to a place where you are well prepared and you have confidence, right, as a competitor. I think, as a head coach, having done that, I don’t know how many times, 40-plus times, you make a lot of mistakes,” Napier said.
“I think along the way you learn what works for you and what helps you deal with some of that. So, I think I’m a little bit more seasoned maybe than I would be if this was the first time,” Napier said.
Napier will have eyes all over him Saturday night as the Gators take on #7 ranked Utah to kickstart the season. You can expect close to 90 thousand in The Swamp on September 3rd.
“There will be plenty of time to soak that in, I can promise you that,” Napier said. “It’s part of the reason you take the job, right, is for those special experiences in that place. So, we look forward to that.”
The Utah Utes is a tough matchup for the Gators. Napier and the Gators only had positive things to say about Utah and their program on Monday afternoon.
“We’ve got a formidable opponent this week,” Napier said. “We’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for Utah and the brand of football that they play on offense, defense, and special teams. Very fundamentally sound group. They play with effort. They’re tough. They’ve been a very consistent performer in the Pac-12 and certainly admire the program that Coach Whittingham has built there. Our team looks forward to the challenge and the opportunity.”
Utah’s head coach, Kyle Whittingham, is entering his 18th season as head coach with the Utes. He has a record of 144-70 during that span. He led his team to a 10-4 record last season (8-1, Pac12).
It’s no surprise that Utah is going to try to run the football on the Gators in week one.
“I think they have a fantastic system on offense,” Napier said. “Obviously, the running backs are returning. This is a well-designed running attack, in my opinion. I admire the brand of football that they play, I think, on a number of different surfaces.”
“They obviously do a good job of designing the plan, it’s well thought out,” Napier said. “Their coordinator, I’ve watched this guy for a long time. He’s good at what he does. He’s got a quarterback that can make the decisions.”
Utah returns players at key positions this year.
“There’s a reason why they’re well thought of going into the season,” Napier said. “The number of returning players they have, offensive line, tight end, running back, receiver, and most importantly, the quarterback. They present a lot of challenges for you on offense for sure.”
“This is a heck of a football team,” Napier said. “There’s a reason why they’re a top ten ranked team and won their conference championship. If you think about it, the few losses they had were independent before the quarterback change, so this is really an accomplished group with a lot of veteran players coming in here Saturday.”
Napier plans to prepare for Utah by making sure the staff and players are focused on the task at hand this week.
“I think it’s very important that we have the self-discipline in our approach this week in terms of how we prepare,” Napier said. “Our staff has done a good job of setting up a structure and a routine for the players. It’s their job to follow through, and I’m a firm believer that that detailed preparation will allow them to be well-prepared and play with confidence, and that’s our job as a staff.”
“Mainly just focusing on the task,” Napier said. “I talked to the players a lot about it yesterday. Execution is what’s going to decide the game. Anything that doesn’t contribute to that, I think could be a distraction this time of year.”
Napier was asked if he still gets butterflies or jitters before the game.
“I don’t think I’m ever going to be beyond that,” Napier said. “I think, as a competitor, man, football in particular, you work the entire year, and you only get so many opportunities to compete.”
One thing is for certain, Napier doesn’t take any opportunity for granted.
Napier is looking to become the first Gators head coach to beat a ranked team in his debut.