SEC Media Day 2022: Social media reactions to Billy Napier’s comments
Florida’s new head coach Billy Napier took the podium for his first SEC media day on Wednesday, and there was no shortage of reactions to his comments throughout the afternoon.
The topics discussed ranged from complex issues such as what Napier is doing to prepare the team for long-term success to more trivial information such as why Napier chooses to stick with a buzz cut. His answers informed, entertained and even got the room a little choked up when the conversation shifted toward his father.
This was the media’s (and fans’) first extended look at Napier, and many are impressed with what he had to say. Of course, it’s impossible to impress everyone, especially in the age of social media, so there were plenty of pessimistic reactions as well.
Here are some of the best reactions to Napier’s comments throughout the day.
Napier wants good people on his team
The first order of business was letting everyone know the kind of players Napier is looking for at the University of Florida. The three players he brought with him to speak the media are shining examples of that, and he made sure to let the world know who his leaders are.
Napier says UF firmly believes that better people make better players. #Gators
— Matt Baker (@MBakerTBTimes) July 20, 2022
Napier says Richard Gouraige, Anthony Richardson and Ventrell Miller represent the values of Florida and do a great job on and off the field.
— Andrew Spivey (@AndrewSpiveyGC) July 20, 2022
Napier compliments Kirby Smart/Nick Saban
Perhaps the most talked about answer Napier gave was when he shared his thoughts on Georgia head coach Kirby Smart.
Billy Napier on Kirby Smart: "I'm proud of the guy, to be honest. He's done it & done it the right way. I look forward to getting to compete against him."
Says he knows how hard it is & told Kirby he was happy for him when he saw him at SEC meetings.#SECMD22
— Jon Tweets Sports (@jontweetssports) July 20, 2022
Needless to say, Gator Nation was stunned.
Billy Napier's public approach to talking about Kirby Smart at Georgia so far is, uh, quite different than Dan Mullen's.
— Thomas Goldkamp (@ThomasGoldkamp) July 20, 2022
Billy Napier might be a Georgia fan
— Baxter Street Boys (@baxstboys) July 20, 2022
Kirby wasn’t the only coach Napier was asked about. He spoke about Nick Saban, who he coached under at Alabama.
"Coach [Saban] was great to me. He's created opportunities for me because of the things I learned from him."
"He set the standard."
Napier almost mentioned that Saban helped him once his dad was diagnosed with ALS.
— 𝙳𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚗 (@KeiserDonavon) July 20, 2022
Napier's father
Napier spoke about his father a few times and the influence he had on him as a man and coach. He paused to collect himself multiple times when speaking about his dad, and it’s easy to see why he values family so heavily in the recruiting process.
A lot of questions and references to Napier's father. Billy choking up talking about his dad.
— Joe (@UFLORIDAJOE) July 20, 2022
Bill Napier on how his father worked through illness: "when adversity strikes, you can choose character or you can choose compromise"
— Richard🇬🇾Johnson (@RJ_Writes) July 20, 2022
It's impossible to listen to @coach_bnapier talk about his father and not feel every word in your gut.
— G. Allan Taylor (@GAllanTaylor) July 20, 2022
The buzz cut
Not all of the material was so heavy, though.
I asked Billy Napier why he's a buzzcut guy despite the fact that he's not losing his hair.
"I got a lot more things to worry about than my hair, I can promise you that."
— Connor O'Gara (@cjogara) July 20, 2022
Florida’s no-nonsense Billy Napier, who embraces the old-school buzzcut despite having what appears to be a decent set of locks:
It’s simple. It takes no time to get ready in the morning. I’ve got a lot of other things to worry about than my hair, I promise you that. pic.twitter.com/AEil63xsm8— Brent Zwerneman 📰 (@BrentZwerneman) July 20, 2022
Anthony Richardson
Of course, the head coach talked some football as well. Quarterback Anthony Richardson’s development was priority No. 1.
Napier discusses Anthony Richardson's development, noticed a sense of urgency from the QB in Florida's spring game.
Napier told Richardson then: "It's important, this energy you feel right now, you've got to channel that energy each day."
— Zach Goodall (@zach_goodall) July 20, 2022
Napier praises Anthony Richardson and says they still have work to do. Says Anthony has a ton of energy but needs to learn how to channel that energy, and he is looking forward to all of his opportunities.
— David Soderquist (@GettinSwamped) July 20, 2022
Florida-Georgia game
He was asked whether or not he thinks the Florida-Georgia game should remain in Jacksonville, but he (smartly) sidestepped the question and bought himself another year before having to commit to an official position.
Billy Napier asked about making Florida-Georgia a home and home as Kirby Smart has discussed. Napier said, "I'd like to experience it first before I express an opinion." #SECMD2022
— Scott Rabalais (@RabalaisAdv) July 20, 2022
Billy Napier on future of Georgia-Florida in Jacksonville. "I want to experience the game first," he said before offering his take. Said there's advantage of home-and-home but also tradition playing game where it is.
— Marc Weiszer (@marcweiszer) July 20, 2022
Assistant coaches
Napier praised his assistant coaches, specifically running backs coach Jabbar Juluke, offensive line coach Rob Sale and defensive backs coach Corey Raymond.
Napier has said that coach Jabar Juluke has an impact on the entire team, not just the RBs
— Hail Florida Hail (@HailFloridaHail) July 20, 2022
"We are fortunately to bring him back," Napier said of Rob Sale.
He calls Sale a "phenomenal" teacher and calls him a "foxhole guy."
— 𝙳𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚗 (@KeiserDonavon) July 20, 2022
Billy Napier thought highly of former LSU cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond long before he hired him at Florida.
"When I was coaching receivers at Alabama, there was a lot of battles," Napier said. "You could tell he was a phenomenal coach and great teacher."
— Wilson Alexander (@whalexander_) July 20, 2022
Recruiting
He thanked the university for giving him the resources to hire an elite staff and laid out his plan for recruiting in the future.
Napier has made the point a few times to praise the admins at UF for supporting his vision, and their commitment to his programs
— Hail Florida Hail (@HailFloridaHail) July 20, 2022
Napier says that their philosophy is to take an inside and out approach to recruiting. Start from within and work your way out. Keeping the best players in the state is critical.
— David Soderquist (@GettinSwamped) July 20, 2022
Paul Finebaum Show
Napier’s comments on the Paul Finebaum show also stood out to some. He touched on the difficulties of establishing a system in a new program and the ups and downs of recruiting being so public.
Two key snippets stuck out to me that should be taken as excellent signs for #Gators fans from Billy Napier's chat with Paul Finebaum: pic.twitter.com/nnjZH7L7fU
— Thomas Goldkamp (@ThomasGoldkamp) July 20, 2022
Tebow weighs in
It wouldn’t be an SEC media day if [autotag]Tim Tebow[/autotag] didn’t talk about his former club. Unsurprisingly, Tebow fully endorsed the new head coach and thinks Florida has “taken a breath of fresh air.”
“What impresses me most about Billy Napier is his humility”
– Tim Tebow following Napier’s press conference
— Hail Florida Hail (@HailFloridaHail) July 20, 2022
Tebow calls Billy Napier "an absolute thinker."
Tebow says Napier sees the UF program as a business and that he is a CEO.
— 𝙳𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚗 (@KeiserDonavon) July 20, 2022
Did we miss any of the best moments of Billy Napier at the 2022 SEC Media Day? Let us know in the comments.
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