Florida head coach Billy Napier on the Utes: “They have a fantastic system on offense. … They’re balanced. The running backs are returning. This is a well designed running attack. I admire the brand of football that they play.”
Florida head coach Billy Napier speaks during an NCAA college football news conference at the Southeastern Conference Media Days, on July 20, 2022, in Atlanta. Napier’s recruiting prowess has been on display the last two months. The team's 2023 class is now ranked in the top 10 by Rivals and 247 Sports. The bump coincides with Florida opening an $85 million facility that should help get the program back on level footing with the Southeastern Conference heavyweights.
Florida, meanwhile, finished 6-7 after firing coach Dan Mullen following an overtime loss at Missouri in November. “He wants to make sure everything is prepared so that when it comes down to the game, there’s no excuses to where: ‘Oh, I didn’t know I needed to be here. I forgot this. I left this at home. Or, oh, I forgot that we had meetings at this time,’” Zanders said.
Florida’s opener has been talked about for months. It marks the first in a series of high-profile games Stricklin has scheduled in recent years, a list that includes North Carolina State, Cal, Colorado, Arizona State, Texas and Notre Dame. The Gators last dropped a home opener in 1989, when Mississippi won 24-19 at Florida Field. Steve Spurrier replaced Galen Hall the following year.
Napier welcomed the challenge and called it a “carrot” for his team. Nonetheless, he admittedly has felt better about openers before. After all, he was at Louisiana-Lafayette the last four years, and the routine there had become more engrained with every season.