Billy Napier: I'm committed to not getting used to losing

Billy Napier isn’t accepting defeat. On Monday, the Florida head coach revealed his mindset following the Gators’ 24-11 loss to Utah on Thursday.

“I’m committed to not getting used to [losing],” Napier told the press. “I’m not joking when I say that, you know? I think I asked the team yesterday, I said, ‘What motivates you?’ And I think for me, seeing the players get the reward from the work is motivating.

“But, it’s also just as motivating to watch them have to go through the difficulty of losing, right? Knowing what I’ve observed for a very long time, if that makes sense, right? So, sometimes as a leader, it’s not about me. It’s more about the rest of them, my players in particular.”

Florida’s players reaped no rewards from its Week 1 battle. The team looked lost, converting on just one of its 13 third-attempts and two of its five fourth-attempts in the contest. Worse, they recorded a mere 13 rushing yards on 21 carries.

The performance was a far cry from Napier’s hopes for his second season at the helm. Nonetheless, the loss was painfully familiar. In Napier’s debut season, Florida went 6-7 and 3-5 in conference play. There wasn’t a happy ending for the Gators, who fell 30-3 to Oregon State to close out their season.

Billy Napier delivers message to team

Despite Florida’s disappointing outing, Napier does not expect his team to give up yet.

“I told the team that I think adversary presents a choice, right? You can choose character or you can choose to compromise,” Napier said. “One thing that I know about this group is I think that we’ve worked hard on building some intangibles. And, already, I can see that this group will respond the right way. I believe that.”

The road to success won’t be easy. According to Sports Illustrated, Florida has the sixth toughest schedule in the nation for 2023. Florida will feel this toughness firsthand in Week 3 when it takes on No. 12 Tennessee.

Nevertheless, the Gators do have an opportunity to bounce back this week. On Saturday, UF will square off against McNeese State, a significant step down in competition from Utah. Napier hopes to see his team find their stride in the outing.

“We’re going to be back in The Swamp next week,” Napier said. “We’re going to sleep here tonight, get up and fly back, and get back to work, staff and players, to try to continue to improve… I think our team will respond the right way. I’m confident in that.”