Napier’s Gators focus to close gap with Ga.
GAINESVILLE — Back in Billy Napier’s North Georgia stomping ground, the Bulldogs’ first national title since 1980 was met with joyous celebration.
In Gainesville, Georgia’s defeat of Alabama only intensified Napier’s challenge.
The Gators’ SEC East rival illustrated the talent gap between the programs during a 34-7 rout Oct. 30 in Jacksonville. Georgia’s 33-18 win this past Monday against Alabama represented a shift in the balance of power in the SEC.
Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide remain the gold standard in college football’s top conference but Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs no longer are just nipping at the heels.
“I know a lot of those people in that building, so it’s a significant accomplishment,” Napier said. “You’ve got to be aware of the competition. Know your competition.” Napier said first know thyself. Napier, who grew up in Chatsworth, 120 miles northwest of Athens, inherits a Florida program with vast tradition, resources and potential. The Gators, though, are coming off a 6-7 season and have significant ground to make up on the recruiting trail.
Georgia signed the No. 1 class two of the past four years and has ranked no lower than fourth since Smart’s 2017 arrival. Florida has signed two top-10 classes — Nos. 9 in 2019 and 20 — in those five years.
The Bulldogs’ talent and depth on defense allowed it to yield an average of just 10.2 points, the fewest in 10 years. Former walk-on quarterback Stetson Bennett IV’s rags-to-riches story would not have been possible without the abundance of talent surrounding him.
To compete with the Georgia juggernaut, Napier will hire a massive support staff, recruit doggedly and develop current players.
“Right now I’m more concerned and working hard on what’s going on inside our house instead of worrying about what the neighbor’s house is doing,” Napier said. “That’s just where we’re at.”
Napier and his staff just completed a 13-day assessment period of each player to weigh strengths and weaknesses while calculating the best path forward.
“Really getting some baseline numbers of where we’re at, what are the issues, where we can improve,” Napier explained. “Kind of a starting point.”
Florida faces a long road to catch Georgia. One advantage, Napier said, is the Gators have a clear map.
“Each year one team gets to stand on that stage and hold the trophy up,” he said. “The good thing is that this place has done it before. So we’re very capable, but I also think we understand the amount of hard work that goes into that.
“We got a lot of work to do before we start worrying about that.”
Hiring spree: The hiring of Clemson’s Savannah Bailey on Friday as senior director of player relations and GatorMade brings the total to 40 since Napier’s arrival.
Napier still needs to hire two of 10 assistant coaches and plans to keep adding to a support staff he likened to an “army” during his Dec. 5 introductory press conference.
Asked how many people he had hired, without looking at his notes, Napier was not quite sure.
“I could probably tell you how many we have left to hire probably more than how many we’ve hired,” he said. “We’ve tried to be intentional about building this the right way. A lot goes into this. It’s the most important thing that we do.”
“If you get it right in the front end, then there’s less issues going forward.”