What Billy Napier Said on the SEC Teleconference Ahead of USF

Meanwhile, multiple freshmen shined for the Gators with quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. throwing for two touchdowns, receiver Vernell Brown III setting a program record for receiving yards by a freshman in their first start with 79 and linebacker Myles Johnson having a multi-tackle night.

"I think we've always had a philosophy from a system standpoint, and if you have a really unique skill player that is a freshman, you need to be able to get that guy ready to play," Napier said. "So I think we're built from a process standpoint, for a running back or a receiver to be able to play early. Now, it's a lot more of a challenge to get an offensive lineman, a tight end, or a quarterback ready to play as a rookie. But nowadays with the portal, you got to really think about your year-round teaching, you know, starting in January, for the most part, probably 85% of these kids get here in January. So what is your year-round process look like to make sure if you have a guy who has some talent that he's able to impact your team?"

Napier added that some of Florida's freshmen that played early were "some of the better players in the country" that have "enough poise and maturity" with strong information retention.

"Hopefully, we can continue to find them and get them ready,” Napier said.

No Penalties

Florida is currently the only team in the country without a penalty after a zero-flag effort on Saturday, its first since 2021.

"It was really unique and definitely a tribute to our players and the hard work that they put into playing with a little bit more discipline," Napier said. "I think we've done a lot of rules education. We talked a lot about opening games of seasons and how those are three areas: tackling, undisciplined penalties and obviously the ball security piece."

Napier admitted it will be unlikely that the zero-penalty games happen again, but he continued to emphasize his team's discipline being a strength.

"As the players improve and the matchups get more challenging, it'll be more challenging to continue that trend, but I do think a lot of penalties are about discipline," he said. "They're about making good decisions within the game. We spent a ton of time coaching it, and I think that good to see the players be able to do that. Hopefully we can do it. I seriously doubt we'll be able to do it much in the future, we're going to play some really, really talented teams."

Golesh's History vs. UF

Prior to taking the USF job, Alex Golesh spent two seasons at Tennessee as the offensive coordinator, where he went 1-1 against the Gators. His one win came in Napier's first season, a 38-33 back-and-forth battle as the Volunteers, led by quarterback Hendon Hooker, pulled out their first win in the series since 2016.

"I do think there's a little cat and mouse there in general. But I just think as a program overall, you see a little bit of their DNA is similar to Tennessee, in my opinion," Napier said. "I think they're improving on defense. I thought they played really at a high level on defense in the opener. Tennessee has improved over the last few years, and statistically were one of the better defenses in the country last year."

Napier credited those improvements and DNA similarities to Golesh.

"I think he's a really sharp up and comer," Napier said. "He's done a heck of a job there. They'll continue to get better."