'Tremendous Opportunity' for Young Gators Leadership to Emerge in Vegas Bowl

Billy Napier hopes to identify future leaders across Florida's roster when the diminished Gators take on Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Photo: Derek Wingo; Credit: Alex Shepherd

The first year of Billy Napier’s tenure at the University of Florida was a tumultuous rollercoaster characterized by signs of improvement from years past followed by a steep decline at the season’s end.

However, the positives within the Gators program — like the heightened sense of discipline and contributions from youthful talent — present hope for its trajectory.

While Florida takes on Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 17 to cap off the 2022 season, the focal point of the matchup aligns with the preparation for 2023 by getting more pieces involved in both sides of the ball.

“I think it presents opportunities for young leadership to really emerge,” Napier said on Thursday. “I think that’s what we’re seeing. We have a core group of veterans that are coming back that I think have character and really care about their role and doing their job for the team, and they really care about the program. 

“You pair that with a lot of young talent. We have a lot of young players that played this year for the first time and did a great job. We’ve got a good nucleus of players.”

The Gators will be without a plethora of top performers including quarterback Anthony Richardson, All-American offensive lineman O’Cyrus Torrence and middle linebacker Ventrell Miller, who already announced their entries into the NFL Draft.

That, along with an influx of entrants into the transfer portal, created questions surrounding the bodies they’ll have to adequately prepare with first and second teams.

“I think we've got a handful of players that will finish with the team,” he said when asked about what the numbers will look like given the expected roster attrition to this point.

“Obviously a lot of guys that got their degrees. I think the big thing is when you start prepping for the opponent, there'll be a few positions where there's some challenges in terms of practice and scout teams and those types of things. But each group has got a solid group of players. We’ll be ready to go.”

Throughout the 2022 season, young pieces like Trevor Etienne, Shemar James, Austin Barber, Kamari Wilson, Chris McClellan, Miguel Mitchell and more have stepped up to assume legitimate roles in Florida’s operation at points.

Whether it came in a continuous capacity or due to injury, each player made an impact in a significant way.

However, while continued time to develop for them is imperative, guys who have seen time sparingly even this season are the ones Napier is most intrigued to see take advantage of the opportunity they’re provided during the bowl preparation process.

A key defensive piece for the 2023 season is already emerging to assume Miller’s role in the unit.

“I see some urgency,” Napier said. “I’ll use an example. Derek Wingo addressed the team after practice today. He did a phenomenal job. We’ve got a handful of players like that that maybe played for the first time in their career this season that are returning and I think there’s an opportunity to build some momentum here.” 

Wingo — who started the year third in the MLB rotation behind sixth-year incumbent starter in Miller and Jeremiah “Scooby” Williams — ascended to the top of the rotation for the Gators' season-ending contest against Florida State when Miller was forced to sit out in the first half after a targeting penalty in the second half against Vanderbilt.

He performed at a career-high level, showing a heightened ability to effectively produce with his run fits. 

He’ll look to continue that upward trend, alongside other inexperienced players, in the postseason practice sessions and when the Gators head west to Sin City in preparation for future campaigns.

“There’s tremendous opportunity," Napier suggested, "that comes with playing a really good Oregon State team in an early bowl game in Vegas." 

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