Everything Billy Napier said on the SEC teleconference for Miami week

Each week the SEC holds a teleconference for all 16 head coaches in the league. Billy Napier took his turn Wednesday to address Florida’s loss to USF, the Gators’ next matchup against No. 3 LSU and more.

Here’s everything Napier said on the SEC Teleconference.

Billy Napier’s opening statement

BILLY NAPIER: “Right in the middle of the work. Really excited about the opportunity that comes with playing Saturday night. Obviously a really good Miami team that’s talented across the board at every position, get to play on the big stage and I know our guys are looking forward to it. We’re off to a good start so far this week. So in general here, this is what you get into it for. And I’m excited about the opportunity. I know our players are as well.”

On who is going to step in for Jabbar Juluke:

BILLY NAPIER: “Jabbar will be with us all the way up until we depart for the stadium. So we’ll absorb his game day responsibilities amongst the staff.”

On if Napier saw firsthand what occurred and led to a three-game suspension:

BILLY NAPIER: “I was not on the field during the unit warmups. So, in general, I think just misrepresentative of the league, of the university, of our organization as a whole. Jabbar has taken ownership of that. As you would expect from Jabbar, he’s been first class in terms of how he’s handled it. We worked with the SEC office and the university administration to resolve it. He’ll serve his time here and the discipline that comes with making a tough decision. Jabbar’s got a body of work in his career. He made a mistake, and I think the big thing here is that got to continue to grow and learn from things like this and be a good example to others, and he’s done that so far.”

On balancing bringing DJ Lagway up to speed given his missed offseason time and creating a gameplan:

BILLY NAPIER: “Ultimately I think we’ve challenged all parts of the team to raise their level of play. Similar dynamic last year when Graham had gotten hurt and DJ made his first start at Kentucky, and then we were playing with a rookie quarterback, and one of the things that contributed to our ability to play winning football was that everybody around DJ stepped their game up in a major way. So, we all understand what DJ’s been through in the offseason and as he works his way back into that rhythm and getting back to playing winning football, I think that’s the approach we have to take. We’ll continue to coach him every day. His attitude, his effort, his approach has been incredible to see. And these are the types of experiences that I think are sometimes really a challenge as a young player, but I think long-term they can be very beneficial. If you have the right mindset, you can develop resiliency, toughness. I think it’s healthy to some degree for him to have to go through some struggles. This offseason has presented that and certainly Saturday’s game, but he’ll continue to get better. There’s no question about it. He’s already off to a great start. I thought he had a really sharp practice yesterday. We’ll just keep coaching fundamentals, decision making, communication, and as he catches up, I think that’ll help our team play winning football.”

On Aidan Mizell’s development:

BILLY NAPIER: “As he has been healthy, his role has always been present. He made three really good plays. The touchdown, the third down in the fringe area. And then obviously the big explosive play, really good contested catch where DJ fit one in there. So, yeah, his speed, his length, and now that he’s played a little bit of ball, his experience. I do think that it’s not too big for him. He kind of rises to the occasion on the big stage and we’re going to need him to continue to do that. His biggest issue since he’s been here has been his health and durability, and I think he’s working hard to resolve those things that have been problems for him in the past.”

On seeing Carson Beck for a third time, how’s he being used differently: 

BILLY NAPIER: “Carson is one of the better quarterbacks in the country. Obviously has played a ton of football, not only in the game setting but in the practice setting at Georgia and you can tell the guy has a good football intelligence. There’s arm talent, accuracy, and he’s hit the ground running. Different location, different system to some degree, but I do think we’ve all seen Carson at his best and when he’s on top of his game he’s as good as anybody. It will be one of the challenges of the game, trying to affect him, disrupt his rhythm, make it hard. Much like most weeks in our league you got to protect our quarterback and we got to affect their quarterback, so this game will be no different.”

On the level of concern at defensive line after Caleb Banks’ injury:

BILLY NAPIER: “I would say it’s more optimism than concern. I think it’s a strength for our team, we have a lot of players that are capable. Obviously, Jamari Lyons being back, Brendan Bett’s impact, Tarvorise Brown, Brien Taylor, there’s a number of players there. You mentioned Joseph Mbatchou, I thought Joseph had a great practice yesterday, so, there’s a little bit of a next man up mentality. These guys have been working hard the entire offseason; we know in our league that that position in particular that there’ll be some guys get banged up and we’ll be without a few here or there, week to week, and it’s important to have depth and those guys have to step up, and it’ll be a great challenge with the Miami offensive line and their inside running game. Big task ahead for them and it’ll be an important part of the matchup that they’re ready to play.”