Florida football head coach Billy Napier made a stop on his speaking tour on Wednesday in Ft. Lauderdale, where he shared his thoughts on two of the most impactful changes to the collegiate sports landscape in recent years — the transfer portal as well as the name, image and likeness paradigm that has recently arisen. The two issues have been compounding factors in the newly anointed head of the program’s efforts to re-establish the Orange and Blue as a preeminent force on the collegiate gridiron.
In a speech given at the Signature Grand Davie hosted by Broward County Gator Club, the Napier made clear his overall sentiments as well as his concerns moving forward into the new era. Ahead of his speaking engagement, he offered the following to the press comparing the transfer portal to how things are structured in the pros.
“I think that it’s a little bit like NFL free agency to some degree except when a team maybe overpays, there’s no cap penalty going forward.”
During his speech on Wednesday, he took his point a step further.
“There’s a theory in the NFL, ‘What is the cost of a replacement?’ The value of a veteran player, the value of a guy who has experience, who knows your system, the routine, making progress towards his degree. Those players are extremely valuable to your program.
I think there’s a lot of parallels to the decision-making part of the process if that makes sense. You’ve got a chance to go, players become available through free agency in the National Football League and you’re sitting there as an owner, general manager, head coach, the leadership in each team has to make decisions in the best interest of the team. Do you need a player at a certain position?”
In this context, Florida’s head coach is referring to how a program can plug the holes left behind by departing players and the impact the loss of upperclassmen can have on a team. Napier’s concerns run even deeper, though he made no indication that he is not…
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