Gators 2023 Pro Day Presented Valuable Attention for Billy Napier’s Program

The Gators 2023 Pro Day presented prospective draft talent an opportunity to showcase skills and Billy Napier’s program valuable attention amid rebuild effort.

GAINESVILLE — Over 80 credentialed media members crowded the Florida Gators indoor practice facility on Thursday morning in anticipation of one of the most intriguing Pro Days in program history. An influx of National Football League personnel also appeared, including at least one representative from all 32 teams.

The presence of potential top-five selection Anthony Richardson aided that record-breaking attendance for the showcase.

Pro Day is a valuable opportunity for prospective draftees to display their talents with measurements, athletic testing and positional work to the NFL eye. It also presents the University of Florida with the chance to broadcast itself and its player development on a national scale.

That fact was not lost on Gators head coach Billy Napier as the magnifying glass zoomed in on Gainesville.

"It's one of the more gratifying things as a coach to see young people work extremely hard and have opportunities," he said on Thursday. "Got a lot of important people in the building today that are a product of their hard work, right? They've done things the right way on the field, off the field and certainly hopeful that they can create some momentum as we approach the draft."

The ability to network with various franchises is embedded within the atmosphere that Pro Day provides, with the influx of scouts and NFL representatives making their way to Gainesville.

Opening those lines of communication can be crucial to selecting prospective athletes as general managers, coaches and draft research personnel lean on the programs to provide insight into the players they want to select. An added benefit comes in the ability to refine the on-field product with the help of sharp minds in the profession.

Building those trusting relationships is "part of the profession," according to Napier, and he's made sure to lean into that since he arrived at UF.

"We've done quite a bit of professional development throughout the last couple of years," he said. "We just had 17 organizations represented at the Chalk Talk. We did that at Louisiana each year, make quite a few visits in the spring during rookie minicamp and OTA's.

"You're always running into scouts and general managers. So, coaching side and scouting side, there's a pretty good network of people. And it's not just myself, it's the entire building, right? Really good working relationship and hopeful that we can improve their experience here and our process and working with those guys."

Taking over the Florida football program in 2022, Napier endured a rough first year in which he and his staff underperformed relative to expectations in nearly every area. Finishing the year with the team's second straight 6-7 season, seeing an influx of transfer portal entrants starting while still in-season and entering the spotlight for storylines relating to recruiting shortcomings for their quarterback of the future (twice), the Gators bad from 2021 only got worse in 2022.

However, when he initially assumed the reins of the Gators, Napier cautioned fans to remain patient. The rebuild he was taking on would be no spring but rather a marathon.

Tearing it down from top to bottom was expected — albeit not welcomed by supporters who clamored for an immediate turnaround. But, there is a victory in undergoing the culture-shifting process while still producing inherited and long-term talents.

Seeing those pieces operate in the Pro Day capacity proved to be a gratifying experience for Napier, as well as his cohorts.

"It's great for Florida to be in the spotlight," he said. "And a lot of different stories, right? We got some guys that we coached for just one year and then you got some of the coached for multiple years. It's really good for all the players that we have coached over the last couple of years, right?

"I think we had a handful from Louisiana at the Combine, so it's really more rewarding the gratification that you get. I mean, I remember calling this guy every Thursday night on the way home. He'd go to that one corner of his house where he had cell phone service and would pick up the phone at a certain time every Thursday night. So, you go back to that and you think about all the things in between.

"It's one of the more gratifying things as a coach to see it all come to fruition."

The selection process begins on Thursday, April 27, when 11 Gators will be eligible for selection.

The Gators will try to use the momentum built by the local and national attention in Gainesville on Thursday and what will come in Kansas City to ride on moving forward. To sell a vision of developing in orange and blue before donning new threads professionally.

That will start with strides taken on the field in 2023, as the team is presented with widespread continuity. It will be supplemented by talent acquisition in the 2024 cycle. 

While only time will tell for the former, the latter is well on its way toward accomplishment — holding five commitments (most notably from franchise quarterback DJ Lagway) with considerable positive buzz this spring — to wipe away the woes of the not-so-distant past.

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