Scott Stricklin on Billy Napier following first year: I have a really high opinion of him

With all of the big names in the SEC in Florida for the conference’s spring meetings, you can expect many individuals to sit down with ESPN’s Paul Finebaum over the week to discuss conference matters. The expert of all things SEC is covering the meetings while simultaneously getting the lowdown on what’s happening in the conference.

On Tuesday, one of Finebaums guests was Florida Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin. And while there are plenty of things to talk about surrounding Florida sports, like the baseball team being crowned co-champions of the regular season, the host was curious to get Stricklin’s thoughts on Florida’s head football coach Billy Napier.

“I have a really high opinion of Billy, and he’s a unique individual, number one. The way he approaches the position of leadership, the way he evaluates people, (and) the infrastructure and discipline that he has built within the program. You know, our football team had the highest GPA it’s ever had this past spring. With his level of accountability, and attention to detail, he’s building something that’s going to be really special, and it’s going to be built to last a long time,” said Stricklin.

Florida had some highs and lows on the field in Napier’s first year. The highs for Napier and the Gators were a victory over the eventual Pac-12 champions Utah to start the season and his starting quarterback, Anthony Richardson, being selected fourth overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. But in between those two events, there were plenty of lows for Florida.

“The results haven’t shown up on the field the way we wanted to in year one. But there’s a lot of examples of really successful programs that the first year was setting the table and building a foundation. And that’s part of the process that he’s been through thus far,” the Florida AD continued.

The Gators suffered a number of tough losses, but arguably it was the three to end the year that were the most difficult to stomach for the program and their fans. After a dominating 38-6 victory over South Carolina to improve to 6-4 on the season, Florida was shocked and upset by Vanderbilt 31-24. Following that loss and their final game of the season, the Gators would lose to their heated ACC in-state rival Florida State in another close matchup 45-38. Their last loss of the season was arguably the most embarrassing as Florida fell to Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl 30-3. It was the only time in 2022 that the Gators failed to register a touchdown in a game.

Still, as Stricklin sees it, Napier is installing all the right things outside of the field of play in order for Florida to be successful for years to come. And he is not complacent with the results from last season, but the Gators athletic director fully understands that it takes time to build a championship-level culture. And so far, what he’s seen from Napier has impressed him and a number of individuals surrounding the program.

“Billy’s going to end up being really successful for the Florida Gators. And anyone spending time with him or seeing the way he’s worked in the past, what he’s done in Gainesville, it’s hard not to be impressed with the guy.”