Former Gators HC Billy Napier makes a surprise visit that will rile up the fanbase, because he still hasn’t done one thing
It’s quite interesting that Billy Napier made it to Athens before releasing a thank you.
The Florida Gators made the right call when they fired head coach Billy Napier after the homecoming win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
It was a necessary firing, not for what Napier did to build up the program’s infrastructure, but rather for the results on the field. He failed to sustain a winning record, going 22-23 during his three-plus seasons in Gainesville. Now, the Gators are on the search for another head coach, with Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin at the top of the list.
Billy Napier visits Georgia Bulldogs before saying thank you to Gator Nation
It’s a tough one for the Gators to, once again, have to deal with hiring a new head coach. It’s become all too common in Gainesville over the last 15 years, as this will be the fifth hire since Urban Meyer left after 2010.
What none of those coaches did was spend time at one of the biggest rivals of the Gators within a few weeks after he was fired. That’s exactly what Napier did, as DawgsCentral’s Graham Coffey reported that he was at the Georgia Bulldogs’ practice on Tuesday afternoon.
It’s a little weird for Napier to end up at Georgia’s practice, considering how big of rivals they are with Florida. However, it makes sense when you look at Napier’s history with Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart.
They spent time together on Alabama’s staff in 2011 and 2013-2015 before Smart took the Georgia job. Napier left Alabama to take the Arizona State offensive coordinator job in 2017, and parlayed that into getting the head coach job at Louisiana.
The unusual aspect for Gators fans is that Napier hasn’t done what most head coaches typically do in his situation: express gratitude to Gator Nation. We’ve seen multiple head coaches do this after they have been fired, including former LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly. Oddly, Napier hasn’t done that yet, and it’s magnified by this visit to Athens.
Overall, is it a big deal? No, but perception is reality, and it’s not a good one right now.
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