Napier Talks Facility Move-in, Florida Gators Roster, Richardson's Ticket
Photo: Billy Napier; Credit: Alex Shepherd
On Tuesday, Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier spoke at a scheduled speaking event in Tampa (Fla), addressing fans and supporters shortly following the program's end of spring practices and the annual Orange and Blue spring game that took place last Thursday.
Prior to the event, Napier addressed the media that were in attendance, answering a variety of questions including regarding the program's new state-of-the-art training facility, which is set to open up in the summer.
Napier indicated that the program anticipates that UF players will begin moving into the facility in late June, a little over two years since the program first broke ground on the $85M football complex, officially dubbed the Heavener Training Center, in 2020.
Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin shared some progress photos of the center in March, showcasing the open spaces. The project is expected to be completed by the expected date this summer, boasting 140,000 square feet of real estate.
Napier would also address the current state of the Florida roster, as he has plenty of times during spring, indicating that while Florida does have capable players, particularly at the starting positions, the program does need more depth and they'll certainly look toward the transfer portal for help if need be.
“I think we’ve got a good group of ones,” Napier said via TampaBayTimes' Matt Baker, “and we’ve got a handful of twos that can play SEC football, play winning football.”
Still, the team has plenty of room to grow. It became glaring during spring that Florida was deficient in some areas, particularly at the tight end position following injuries to three of their top rising players, Jonathan Odom (shoulder), Nick Elksnis (shoulder) and Gage Wilcox (undisclosed, but said to be career-ending).
The team, as a result, was forced to move several players to TE, including former TE turned defensive lineman, and now TE again, Dante Zanders. The team also moved linebacker Noah Keeter and defensive tackle Griffin McDowell to the position, while long snapper Rocco Underwood also received snaps there during spring.
Simply put, Florida has some issues on its roster, and Napier isn't afraid to admit that they'll be looking to upgrade several positions this summer.
“We’re going to try to take full advantage of the situation,” Napier said. “We’ve got some room, and we’ve got an opportunity to add players and certainly hopeful we can do that.”
On the first day of his speaking tour, Napier also would address the situation involving quarterback Anthony Richardson, who received a high-speed speeding ticket for driving in excess of 105 miles per hour. Richardson himself has already addressed the matter when speaking with GatorsOnline a few days ago.
“I know I’m not perfect, but it was a mistake,” Richardson told Gators Online. “I was speeding. My mom always tells me to drive safe because I can not only hurt myself but I can hurt other people. I shouldn’t have done it and I can definitely say I learned my lesson.”
Napier was asked about Richardson and stated that Richardson is taking "complete ownership of the mistake."
He also indicated that the program will do some things "in-house" as far as discipline is concerned. "[The discipline] will all be with the intent to hopefully help him not forget those big signs with numbers on them. You've got to stay underneath that number," Napier added.
Richarson's growth and maturity will certainly be under a microscope moving forward as the team's unquestioned starter at QB. At just age 19, however, there are bound to be some bumps in the road in his journey. But, there's no question that he has had growth and his leadership qualities continue to be praised by the staff, and players alike.
Stay tuned to AllGators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @SI_AllGators on Twitter and Florida Gators on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.
