Billy Napier responds to question about being included on Phillip Fulmer's 'list'
One of the revelations that came out this past week thanks to the NCAA's ruling on the Tennessee Vols' recruiting violations from the Jeremy Pruitt era was that former UT athletic director Phillip Fulmer had compiled a lengthy list of head coaching options in the event that Pruitt had to be fired. Pruitt, of course, […]
One of the revelations that came out this past week thanks to the NCAA's ruling on the Tennessee Vols' recruiting violations from the Jeremy Pruitt era was that former UT athletic director Phillip Fulmer had compiled a lengthy list of head coaching options in the event that Pruitt had to be fired.
Pruitt, of course, was eventually fired by Tennessee in early 2021. Fulmer's list, however, was never used because he stepped down as UT's athletic director in the wake of the Pruitt scandal.
Fulmer's list included numerous high-profile names, including current Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze (then the head coach at Liberty) and current Florida head coach Billy Napier (then the head coach at Louisiana).
Napier was asked on Wednesday at SEC Media Days in Nashville about being included on Fulmer's list.
In typical SEC coach fashion, Napier gave a response that would make most politicians proud.
“We were fortunate to have success at the University of Louisiana, and it was really a result of a lot of people's hard work," said Napier when asked about being included in Fulmer's list. "We had a fantastic staff. We had a great group of players. And that created opportunities for myself and other parts of our staff and it's humbling, that's what I would tell you. But all the success we've had has been a reflection of a lot of great people's hard work, and thanks for the question.”
Napier was mentioned numerous times during the coaching search that led to Josh Heupel getting hired at Tennessee. The general feeling was that Napier preferred to wait for a better situation. And some folks at Tennessee didn't necessarily want to hire another coach with strong ties to Alabama and Nick Saban (Napier worked for Saban at Alabama from 2013 to 2016 as the Crimson Tide's wide receivers coach).
Not landing Napier ended up working out beautifully for the Vols. Not only has Heupel led the Vols to more success than anyone could've imagined, but Napier isn't exactly off to a smooth start at Florida. For once, it all worked out in Tennessee's favor.
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Featured image via Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK
