Napier Urges Gators to be Consumed with Improvement

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — In his brief time as a familiar face around town, Billy Napier has shared how he overcame difficult setbacks in his personal journey, most notably getting fired as Clemson’s offensive coordinator after the 2010 season and dealing with the loss of his father to ALS five years ago.

Napier turned each time to his most-trusted allies: his faith, his family and his work ethic.

A loss to Kentucky in his Southeastern Conference debut as Florida’s head coach pales compared to those life experiences. When Napier stepped to the podium on Monday for his weekly press conference, he opened in an unsurprising temperate fashion.

“When you’re presented with challenges and adversity in life, I think that there’s opportunity, and it’s important that we operate in truth, that we keep it technical,” Napier said. “You try to help the players maintain perspective. I think that it’s very important that you take full advantage of the things that come with an experience like this. It gives you a chance to recenter and certainly evaluate where you’re at as a team.”

A week after a pulsating victory over then-No. 7 Utah in his UF debut, Napier suffered his first loss in more than a year, snapping a personal 13-game win streak dating to Louisiana’s loss at Texas to open the 2021 season. Florida’s 26-16 defeat to Kentucky dampened the enthusiasm after Week 1 and raised questions about third-year sophomore quarterback Anthony Richardson.

Richardson was dynamic in the win over the Utes, totaling 274 yards from scrimmage and rushing for three touchdowns. He struggled against the Wildcats, finishing 14 of 35 for 143 yards and two interceptions. He rushed for only four yards and Kentucky’s defense limited Richardson to 4.1 yards per pass attempt.

Napier is working to ensure Richardson is prepared and in a healthy frame of mind with USF visiting The Swamp on Saturday night.

“It’s part of being a young player. It’s part of being a guy who’s not very experienced,” Napier said. “That’s reality here. Anthony’s a young player. He’s getting his first opportunity to be the guy. I just think this is part of the story. This is part of his growth.

“And he’ll use that. This guy’s a competitor. He’s motivated, and I think he’s going to take full advantage of the experience he’s had, both good and bad so far.”

The No. 18-ranked Gators welcome USF to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for only the second time. Florida defeated the Bulls 38-14 in 2010, the inaugural meeting between the…