ORANGE PARK, Fla. — Billy Napier is heading into his second season as the head coach of the Florida Gators Football team.
Monday night he swung through Orange Park as part of his 2023 Speaking Tour and took time to speak in front of the Clay County Gator Club.
He also spoke to the media prior to the event, talking about everything from Spring football to recruiting football talent across the First Coast.
When asked about how important it is to recruit in northeast Florida, Napier said the best Gators football teams have had a good crop of players from the area.
"Our emphasis is building the team inside out. We certainly want to start by defending our backyard, working our way out. We start our evaluation process that way. We firmly believe that it means more to a kid who grew up right in the middle of it. What I say is 'They gotta go home and put up with it whether it's good or bad' so I just think there's certain motivation that comes from that," Napier said.
With Anthony Richardson heading to the NFL, Napier also spoke about Florida's quarterback competition this Spring which includes Ohio State transfer Jack Miller (who took snaps at QB for the Gators last season), Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz and redshirt freshman Max Brown.
This is what Napier had to say regarding what he's looking for in his next quarterback:
"You know you're looking for a guy that wins over the staff but also more importantly wins over the team. And I think at some point the leadership component, you know, there's a trust component in all of this relative to 'Do the players trust the guy? Does the staff trust the guy?' and certainly for me as the play caller," Napier said.
The Gators 2023 Orange and Blue Spring Game kicks off at 7:30pm ET Thursday, April 13.