By Franz Beard
A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning:
Abbreviated VA Emergency Room Edition
As we await an opportunity for the doctors to examine my stepfather (Sempir Fi!), there is wifi and a charging station, therefore I can write as long as the former Army Ranger with the foot that’s swollen the size of a tractor trailer tire doesn’t let out a blood curdling scream.
THE BILLY SHOW AT SEC MEDIA DAYS
Okay, so there wasn’t a single giggle to be had in Billy Napier’s 30-minutes at the mic at SEC Media Days in Atlanta Wednesday afternoon. You were expecting Jeff Foxworthy explaining that you might be a Tennessee Vol if you’ve ever asked the girl sitting next to you in a bar if those are her natural teeth or storebought? There will be time for Napier to become a bit more entertaining in the future, but for Wednesday he accomplished exactly what he set out to do. He sounded calm and self-assured without a hint of Dan Mullen cockiness or Jim McElwain smugness. He was confident, well-organized and not the least bit awed by being Florida’s fourth football coach since 2011.
The last time the Gators won a national/SEC championship was 2008. The last time they were truly national championship contenders was 2009. There have been a few years of success since then but each of the three previous coaches sustained at least one losing season. This after going from 1980-2012 without a single losing record.
Based on Florida’s last 16 games (6-10 record) there are no through the roof expectations for Napier’s first Florida team. He inherits a roster that doesn’t lack for talent but does come up short when it comes to experience and every bit as important, discipline. A disciplined Florida team wouldn’t have left wins on the field against Alabama, Kentucky and LSU.
And that’s why the time between now and the season opener with Utah in The Swamp on September 3 will go a long way toward setting the tone for the rest of the 2022 season.
“The next 40 days will be critical,” Napier said. “We're going to work hard on developing the personality, the identity of this team. The daily approach, right? The self-discipline, the habits, the choices, focus that's required to be an exceptional player and have an exceptional team, and ultimately build habits.”
Imagine that. A team with self-discipline that has good work habits, makes good choices and is focused. Those characteristics were in short supply last year, which, of course, is why Mullen isn’t the head coach anymore and why Napier has been brought in to not just repair the damage but transform the entire Florida football program.
Napier hasn’t been given a blank check to recalibrate the football program, but there have been few if any instances when athletic director Scott Stricklin has said no. Stricklin’s approach is if it makes sense, then do it. He knows and understands that football revenue is the lifeblood of the entire athletic program and this is a program that just finished fifth in the Learfield Director’s Cup standings, the best finish of any Southeastern Conference program.
What Billy needs, Billy will get.
“I think we're 20 percent bigger as an organization,” Napier said. “We've modernized the approach. We have an incredible product. I mean, we have history, we have tradition, we have an elite degree. We have one of the best experiences for scholar athletes in the country. It's been done before, and they're passionate about doing it again, right? I think they [administration] understand maybe why there's a struggle. I think they're working hard to address those things.”
The administration likes Napier’s no shortcuts to excellence approach. It was one of the bigger reasons why Napier was the first and only choice after Stricklin parted ways with Mullen. Stricklin is a firm believer that there are two ways to achieve winning: (1) win at all costs, which isn’t going to cut it at UF; and (2) win by doing things the right way.
As Stricklin sees it, there is a right way and there is a wrong way and there is no gray area. It seems to fit with Napier’s core philosophy:
“We want to create an organization that has life-changing impact on the players, right? We've put together a great infrastructure that's all about serving the players. We're trying to improve the player experience. We firmly believe that better people make better football players. We're committed to improving their character. We're going to prioritize their education. We're going to teach football at a high level.”
Here are a few other notable comments Napier made Wednesday:
On the 2022 Gators
“I think they've got a chip on their shoulder. They're excited about the opportunity to earn some respect.”
Not worried about anyone but the Gators
“To go back to what you're talking about, we're consumed with Florida right now. We've got a lot of grass to mow, right? It's our grass, not anybody else's. We've got a lot of work to do.
Dealing with the every day issues
“When you take over an organization, a team, you quickly get to work on what are the issues, what are the problems, coming up with really good solutions. It's one day at a time, it's one person at a time. I think that's the approach we're taking.”
COACHES COMMENTS FROM WEDNESDAY AT SEC MEDIA DAYS
Arkansas coach Sam Pittman
“We led the Power Five in rushing. I think what that does, it tells us what we're trying to do with our program. We want to be a physical team on both sides of the line of scrimmage. We want to win the line of scrimmage. We want to be physical and tough. To do that, it's hard to do. I was an O-line coach for a long, long time, never was able to lead a Power Five in rushing, but we were able to do that last year.”
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops
“You've heard me talk about it, and how we're going to do that, but each and every year I talk about it, build, select and develop. That's what we are. We may change the narrative, change how we do it, different tactics each year. But bottom line is continue to build that attitude, continue to build the culture that we're looking for at Kentucky. Extremely important in this day and age. It goes with the next point: selecting the right players, recruiting. Again, never more important.”
Georgia coach Kirby Smart
“We have 95 players right now with NIL deals that are on our roster. That's incredible, the depth of that. There's so much good there … So NIL can be a good thing and they can learn to manage money at a young age. But to use it as inducement to get a young man to go to your school is not good for anybody or the game. I don't have the answer for how to guardrail that, but NIL has been good to Georgia and it's been good to our players and it will continue to be.”
UF SOFTBALL, LACROSSE PICK UP TRANSFERS
Tim Walton and Amada O’Leary benefitted from the NCAA transfer portal Wednesday. Walton added pitcher Samantha Bender from Tennessee while O’Leary added attacker Tayler Warehime, the team captain from North Carolina’s NCAA champion Tar Heels.
Bender is a grad transfer who earned her undergraduate degree in kiniseology. At Tennessee, she appeared in 31 games over three seasons making 9 starts. She posted a 5-1 record with two saves and a 2.77 ERA in 2020, which was her best season.
Warehime played in 62 games during her Tar Heel career with 42 starts. During UNC’s national championship run in 2023, Warehime scored 11 goals and added four assists. Her best season in Chapel Hill was her junior season (2021) in which she had 38 goals and eight assists.
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: California governor Gavin Newsom is demanding to know why UCLA is leaving the Pac-12 to join the Big Ten.
“UCLA must clearly explain to the public how this deal will improve the experience for all its student-athletes, will honor its century-old partnership with UC-Berkeley, and will prserve the histories, rivalries and traditions that enrich our communities.”
Okay, Gavin, at the risk of sounding a bit too elementary, let me put this in terms that even a career politician can understand:
UCLA’s athletic department is in debt to the tune of $108-plus millions of dollars. The Pac-12 paid out $19 million in its most recent media payout. It doesn’t have a media deal beyond 2024 and won’t even have a league if Oregon and Washington depart the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, which is entirely possible. Even if the Pac-12 lucks out and lands a media deal, it’s going to be in the $30 million a year per school range, if that. As a member of an expanded 16-team Big Ten, the media payouts are expected to be in the $90-100 million per year range. You don’t have to be a brain scientist or a rocket surgeon to figure out that with Big Ten money UCLA can get its athletic department in the black in a very short time. It’s simple math and it’s not that complicated.
A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning:
Abbreviated VA Emergency Room Edition
As we await an opportunity for the doctors to examine my stepfather (Sempir Fi!), there is wifi and a charging station, therefore I can write as long as the former Army Ranger with the foot that’s swollen the size of a tractor trailer tire doesn’t let out a blood curdling scream.
THE BILLY SHOW AT SEC MEDIA DAYS
Okay, so there wasn’t a single giggle to be had in Billy Napier’s 30-minutes at the mic at SEC Media Days in Atlanta Wednesday afternoon. You were expecting Jeff Foxworthy explaining that you might be a Tennessee Vol if you’ve ever asked the girl sitting next to you in a bar if those are her natural teeth or storebought? There will be time for Napier to become a bit more entertaining in the future, but for Wednesday he accomplished exactly what he set out to do. He sounded calm and self-assured without a hint of Dan Mullen cockiness or Jim McElwain smugness. He was confident, well-organized and not the least bit awed by being Florida’s fourth football coach since 2011.
The last time the Gators won a national/SEC championship was 2008. The last time they were truly national championship contenders was 2009. There have been a few years of success since then but each of the three previous coaches sustained at least one losing season. This after going from 1980-2012 without a single losing record.
Based on Florida’s last 16 games (6-10 record) there are no through the roof expectations for Napier’s first Florida team. He inherits a roster that doesn’t lack for talent but does come up short when it comes to experience and every bit as important, discipline. A disciplined Florida team wouldn’t have left wins on the field against Alabama, Kentucky and LSU.
And that’s why the time between now and the season opener with Utah in The Swamp on September 3 will go a long way toward setting the tone for the rest of the 2022 season.
“The next 40 days will be critical,” Napier said. “We're going to work hard on developing the personality, the identity of this team. The daily approach, right? The self-discipline, the habits, the choices, focus that's required to be an exceptional player and have an exceptional team, and ultimately build habits.”
Imagine that. A team with self-discipline that has good work habits, makes good choices and is focused. Those characteristics were in short supply last year, which, of course, is why Mullen isn’t the head coach anymore and why Napier has been brought in to not just repair the damage but transform the entire Florida football program.
Napier hasn’t been given a blank check to recalibrate the football program, but there have been few if any instances when athletic director Scott Stricklin has said no. Stricklin’s approach is if it makes sense, then do it. He knows and understands that football revenue is the lifeblood of the entire athletic program and this is a program that just finished fifth in the Learfield Director’s Cup standings, the best finish of any Southeastern Conference program.
What Billy needs, Billy will get.
“I think we're 20 percent bigger as an organization,” Napier said. “We've modernized the approach. We have an incredible product. I mean, we have history, we have tradition, we have an elite degree. We have one of the best experiences for scholar athletes in the country. It's been done before, and they're passionate about doing it again, right? I think they [administration] understand maybe why there's a struggle. I think they're working hard to address those things.”
The administration likes Napier’s no shortcuts to excellence approach. It was one of the bigger reasons why Napier was the first and only choice after Stricklin parted ways with Mullen. Stricklin is a firm believer that there are two ways to achieve winning: (1) win at all costs, which isn’t going to cut it at UF; and (2) win by doing things the right way.
As Stricklin sees it, there is a right way and there is a wrong way and there is no gray area. It seems to fit with Napier’s core philosophy:
“We want to create an organization that has life-changing impact on the players, right? We've put together a great infrastructure that's all about serving the players. We're trying to improve the player experience. We firmly believe that better people make better football players. We're committed to improving their character. We're going to prioritize their education. We're going to teach football at a high level.”
Here are a few other notable comments Napier made Wednesday:
On the 2022 Gators
“I think they've got a chip on their shoulder. They're excited about the opportunity to earn some respect.”
Not worried about anyone but the Gators
“To go back to what you're talking about, we're consumed with Florida right now. We've got a lot of grass to mow, right? It's our grass, not anybody else's. We've got a lot of work to do.
Dealing with the every day issues
“When you take over an organization, a team, you quickly get to work on what are the issues, what are the problems, coming up with really good solutions. It's one day at a time, it's one person at a time. I think that's the approach we're taking.”
COACHES COMMENTS FROM WEDNESDAY AT SEC MEDIA DAYS
Arkansas coach Sam Pittman
“We led the Power Five in rushing. I think what that does, it tells us what we're trying to do with our program. We want to be a physical team on both sides of the line of scrimmage. We want to win the line of scrimmage. We want to be physical and tough. To do that, it's hard to do. I was an O-line coach for a long, long time, never was able to lead a Power Five in rushing, but we were able to do that last year.”
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops
“You've heard me talk about it, and how we're going to do that, but each and every year I talk about it, build, select and develop. That's what we are. We may change the narrative, change how we do it, different tactics each year. But bottom line is continue to build that attitude, continue to build the culture that we're looking for at Kentucky. Extremely important in this day and age. It goes with the next point: selecting the right players, recruiting. Again, never more important.”
Georgia coach Kirby Smart
“We have 95 players right now with NIL deals that are on our roster. That's incredible, the depth of that. There's so much good there … So NIL can be a good thing and they can learn to manage money at a young age. But to use it as inducement to get a young man to go to your school is not good for anybody or the game. I don't have the answer for how to guardrail that, but NIL has been good to Georgia and it's been good to our players and it will continue to be.”
UF SOFTBALL, LACROSSE PICK UP TRANSFERS
Tim Walton and Amada O’Leary benefitted from the NCAA transfer portal Wednesday. Walton added pitcher Samantha Bender from Tennessee while O’Leary added attacker Tayler Warehime, the team captain from North Carolina’s NCAA champion Tar Heels.
Bender is a grad transfer who earned her undergraduate degree in kiniseology. At Tennessee, she appeared in 31 games over three seasons making 9 starts. She posted a 5-1 record with two saves and a 2.77 ERA in 2020, which was her best season.
Warehime played in 62 games during her Tar Heel career with 42 starts. During UNC’s national championship run in 2023, Warehime scored 11 goals and added four assists. Her best season in Chapel Hill was her junior season (2021) in which she had 38 goals and eight assists.
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: California governor Gavin Newsom is demanding to know why UCLA is leaving the Pac-12 to join the Big Ten.
“UCLA must clearly explain to the public how this deal will improve the experience for all its student-athletes, will honor its century-old partnership with UC-Berkeley, and will prserve the histories, rivalries and traditions that enrich our communities.”
Okay, Gavin, at the risk of sounding a bit too elementary, let me put this in terms that even a career politician can understand:
UCLA’s athletic department is in debt to the tune of $108-plus millions of dollars. The Pac-12 paid out $19 million in its most recent media payout. It doesn’t have a media deal beyond 2024 and won’t even have a league if Oregon and Washington depart the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, which is entirely possible. Even if the Pac-12 lucks out and lands a media deal, it’s going to be in the $30 million a year per school range, if that. As a member of an expanded 16-team Big Ten, the media payouts are expected to be in the $90-100 million per year range. You don’t have to be a brain scientist or a rocket surgeon to figure out that with Big Ten money UCLA can get its athletic department in the black in a very short time. It’s simple math and it’s not that complicated.
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