Florida hire Billy Napier received the ultimate boost to his coaching career when Nick Saban hired him at Alabama.
Saban delivered the ultimate endorsement Thursday: “There’s nothing bad I can say bad about Billy Napier and what the did here.”
Napier, hired away from Louisiana, served two stints under the game’s most accomplished coach, first in 2011 as an analyst for the Crimson Tide and from 2013-16 coach wide receivers for Saban.
During his time in Tuscaloosa, Napier proved himself to Saban in every facet of the game.
“He was a very good coach; he was a good recruiter; he had great relationships with the players; he was a great teacher on the field,” Saban said during a videoconference ahead of Saturday’s SEC title game with Georgia. “Hard worker, great character, great personality, very, very good family.”
Napier, 42, will coach his final game Saturday against Appalachian State during the Sun Belt Conference title game. Napier is 39-12 during four seasons in Lafayette. He has coached the Ragin’ Cajuns (11-1) to three straight seasons with double-digit wins.
On Thursday, the Sun Belt named him Coach of the Year for the second time.
“No surprise to me,” Saban said. “He’s a very well-organized guy and does due diligence before he makes any decision about anything. Very calculated in terms of how he tries to do them in a very positive way for his organization.
“So, not a surprise to me he did really, really well when he got a head coaching job. He’ll continue to do well.”
Napier will replace Dan Mullen. He was fired Nov. 21 after going 34-15 during four seasons at Florida, but just 5-6 in 2021. UF lost nine of final 11 games to Power 5 opponents under Mullen.
Napier is scheduled to address reporters Sunday before embarking on resurrecting the Gators, beginning with inking a recruiting class by Dec. 15 for early National Signing Day.
The Gators have many holes to fill before contending again in the SEC East with Georgia. Winners of the division in 2020, the Gators lost 34-7 Oct. 30 to the Bulldogs, who are 12-0 entering the matchup with Saban’s Crimson Tide.
Quarterback Anthony Richardson’s future appeared to be murky as the season came to close.
The 19-year-old, who played high school football in Gainesville, helped the Gators to a 24-21 win Nov. 27 against Florida State but had not played the previous three games because of injury. This included aggravating an old injury to the meniscus cartilage in his right knee while dancing at the team hotel on the eve of Florida’s 23-point loss Nov. 6 at South Carolina.
But Richardson appeared to make his intentions to return known earlier this week, tweeting, “Scared Money, Don’t Make Money!”
Napier popularized the phrase during a Sept. 16 win against Ohio, when with 3 seconds to go he called for Louisiana to go for a touchdown from the 1-yard line rather than kick a field goal with a 14-7 lead . His team went on to win 49-14.
Asked about the bold decision during his halftime interview, Napier uttered the phrase that now is associated with him.
Not all Gators are on board like Richardson.
Pass rusher Khris Bogle, a top recruit in 2019 out of Fort Lauderdale’s Cardinal Gibbons, entered the transfer portal Wednesday. Promising offensive tackle Gerald Mincey, also of South Florida, entered the portal Monday.
Napier’s reputation as a relentless recruiter in the Sunshine State will be put to the test early on in Gainesville. At Alabama, Napier signed 5-star wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Jerry Jeudy of South Florida.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Edgar Thompson at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osgators.