Billy Napier hoping to improve his play calling in Year 2 at Florida
Billy Napier is not being stubborn. He simply believes that calling offensive plays as the head coach provides more for his Florida Gators than having someone else do it. At least, that’s the message he sent at the 2023 SEC media days when asked about a current trend of coaches relinquishing play-calling duties.
“(Play calling) was part of our evaluation this off-season,” Napier said on Wednesday at the SEC Media Days. “You know, I think like most parts of our organization and our process, we will improve in year two. I think it’s something that we’ll continue to evaluate. I like having my hand on the scripts, the installation, that process.”
For Napier, being the one to call the plays helps his offense establish an “identity and personality.” He’ll hand over the reins when he thinks it’s beneficial for the team, but this is his ship to steer right now. The culture change is nearly complete, but Napier is still trying to get everyone on the same page.
“I think if you get too far away from that, I think there could be some things from a sustainable, repeatable part,” he said. “So, I want to continue to do it, and I think each year, much like all parts of what we do, we’ll continue to evaluate.”
It sounds like Napier will continue to call plays for the Gators as long as he can, but there’s little doubt that the most intense fans will be watching his every move throughout the season. Time management was the biggest question mark in 2022, so look for notable changes late in the half from a season ago.
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