Getting a verbal commitment from LJ yesterday was huge. It was definitely a good day for the Napier rebuild train. I was pondering last night about the job that Napier inherited and his “work” to date.
When Napier was hired, he warned all of us that this was going to be a rough road. He mentioned the highs and lows that Gator Nation would have to endure along the way. Personally, I feel like he has just recently completed the demolition portion of this project. We all know that we have one of the youngest teams in college football. I read somewhere that we have 40+ players who have 3 or 4 years of eligibility left. That is just crazy.
Our best players on offense are players Billy “portaled” or recruited: Mertz, Ricky, Montrell, ETN, (too early to put Boardingham in there?). Most newer coaches not named Deion who only have 20 games under their belt at a new place are playing a lot of guys from the old regime. Not Billy.
Billy has accomplished a lot that we as fans don’t see. His players love him. Trust me on that. Some coaches call out their players in front of a microphone. Billy does it one on one. Is there accountability? Yep. It’s just done in the environment of respect and player improvement. Some here have mocked me when I said that Napier is an elite recruiter. He is. If this class holds, it will be the best class we have had in over a decade.
Billy was hired to do exactly what he is doing. Tearing it all down; building a foundation that will last; and trying to establish a consistent Championship contender.
We have a LONG way to go, and Napier would be the first person to say that. I think he would tell you where he has been most disappointed: periods of poor physicality; offensive conservatism; special teams play; etc. He sees what we see. The only difference is that he saw it way before we did. That is part of the rebuild.
Mullen and Mac (and I strongly supported both of them when they were our head coach b/c that is just how I roll) were not the guys for a rebuild. Mac thought he was smarter than everyone else, and he was a disorganized mess. Remember when players had to workout on their own at Gold's Gym during the Mac era? Think that would work today? Mullen could not/would not recruit and truly believed that he could win championships here simply by calling elite offensive plays. He refused to deal with his defensive woes. Napier is none of those things. He has a plan, believes in it, and will stay the course. Winning LJ's commitment yesterday over ALL of our competitors was part of that process. We got to see that in real time.
So, why am I saying all of this? Because I want you to remember how you felt yesterday at 4:24pm when McCray did the Chomp. I want you to remember what it sounded like in the September Swamp when we beat the hell out the Vols. I want you to recall how loudly you yelled when Ricky caught that pass in Columbia, SC last week. Because there are still some lows on this road, and they will hurt. There will be times when you will scream at your TV with frustration in the coming weeks. I will be doing the same – after all, we are Gator fans.
But, during those disappointing times, please try to hold onto the perspective that tearing something down and rebuilding it with something stronger and better is hard. Billy has said those exact words. What we were 2 years ago needed to be bulldozed. It was time.
And I fully believe that we have hired the right Contractor for the job.
KC
When Napier was hired, he warned all of us that this was going to be a rough road. He mentioned the highs and lows that Gator Nation would have to endure along the way. Personally, I feel like he has just recently completed the demolition portion of this project. We all know that we have one of the youngest teams in college football. I read somewhere that we have 40+ players who have 3 or 4 years of eligibility left. That is just crazy.
Our best players on offense are players Billy “portaled” or recruited: Mertz, Ricky, Montrell, ETN, (too early to put Boardingham in there?). Most newer coaches not named Deion who only have 20 games under their belt at a new place are playing a lot of guys from the old regime. Not Billy.
Billy has accomplished a lot that we as fans don’t see. His players love him. Trust me on that. Some coaches call out their players in front of a microphone. Billy does it one on one. Is there accountability? Yep. It’s just done in the environment of respect and player improvement. Some here have mocked me when I said that Napier is an elite recruiter. He is. If this class holds, it will be the best class we have had in over a decade.
Billy was hired to do exactly what he is doing. Tearing it all down; building a foundation that will last; and trying to establish a consistent Championship contender.
We have a LONG way to go, and Napier would be the first person to say that. I think he would tell you where he has been most disappointed: periods of poor physicality; offensive conservatism; special teams play; etc. He sees what we see. The only difference is that he saw it way before we did. That is part of the rebuild.
Mullen and Mac (and I strongly supported both of them when they were our head coach b/c that is just how I roll) were not the guys for a rebuild. Mac thought he was smarter than everyone else, and he was a disorganized mess. Remember when players had to workout on their own at Gold's Gym during the Mac era? Think that would work today? Mullen could not/would not recruit and truly believed that he could win championships here simply by calling elite offensive plays. He refused to deal with his defensive woes. Napier is none of those things. He has a plan, believes in it, and will stay the course. Winning LJ's commitment yesterday over ALL of our competitors was part of that process. We got to see that in real time.
So, why am I saying all of this? Because I want you to remember how you felt yesterday at 4:24pm when McCray did the Chomp. I want you to remember what it sounded like in the September Swamp when we beat the hell out the Vols. I want you to recall how loudly you yelled when Ricky caught that pass in Columbia, SC last week. Because there are still some lows on this road, and they will hurt. There will be times when you will scream at your TV with frustration in the coming weeks. I will be doing the same – after all, we are Gator fans.
But, during those disappointing times, please try to hold onto the perspective that tearing something down and rebuilding it with something stronger and better is hard. Billy has said those exact words. What we were 2 years ago needed to be bulldozed. It was time.
And I fully believe that we have hired the right Contractor for the job.
KC
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