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Billy Napier comments on the development of freshmen for young Florida team
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Billy Napier has seen plenty of development from his freshman at Florida this season.
That development has come with getting his young guys experience, which isn’t always easy over the course of a tough season. With plenty of freshman talent, especially on defense, Napier has managed to get solid production from his young core.
“I think we’re right at 30% of our snaps on defense have been from freshmen,” Napier said during the SEC coaches teleconference on Wednesday. “I do think your question is relevant. I think that’s kind of the situation you put yourself in as the coaches, ‘OK, how much can we carry relative to to what they can execute.'”
Napier has to evaluate each week differently, but for the most part there’s been plenty of opportunities for his freshman. The Gators’ head coach is hoping that experience will lead to years of strong play in the future.
“I think each week’s a little bit different challenge, depending on who you’re playing, the personnel, the matchups, the variables,” Napier said. “But I do think these guys are getting really, really valuable experience, there’s a leadership component to that as well. I’m hopeful that they’ll benefit from it in the future. I think I’ve always believed that the players make the most improvement after their first year of significant experience. We have a lot of players that are — this is really their first year where they’ve been a major contributor to the team. So it’s a great question and one that we contemplate all the time.”
Napier is on the cusp of reaching bowl eligibility in his first 2 seasons as Florida’s head coach, but he has a pair of tough games to get there. Florida will take on Missouri this week before closing out the season against Florida State.
