Florida Gators head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] appeared on Gator Talk Thursday night to answer questions from UF radio commentator Sean Kelley and fans eating dinner at The Keys Grill and Piano Bar in Celebration Pointe.
The wireless microphone made its way around the room and into the hand of a lucky fan. The fan, named Paul, asked Napier if the transfer portal had helped or harmed the Gators.
Napier replied positively on the portal despite losing some talent within the first season.
“There’s been a lot of benefit to the portal,” Napier said. “In the first week that I got the job, we lost a handful of players that we never even got a chance to meet.”
The second-year head coach countered his statement by saying the Gators received talent through the portal last season.
When Napier was hired from UL-Lafyatte, he brought along running back Montrell Johnson and current Buffalo Bill offensive lineman O’Cyrus Torrence.
Torrence played under Billy Napier for his entire college career before being chosen by Buffalo in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Florida wideout Ricky Pearsall made his transfer from Arizona State and starting quarterback Graham Mertz made his way to UF from Wisconsin in the offseason.
Napier said Florida’s turnaround is easier because of the portal, and the team is close to having the depth they need.
“I think [the portal] has allowed us an opportunity to turn the roster over a little bit quicker,” said Napier. “This would’ve been a more challenging situation if we didn’t have the portal. We’re probably one more cycle away from truly having the depth that we’d like to have.”
Napier says the real crutch for handling the transfer portal is the Name, Image, and Likeness laws.
“The issue with the portal is not the portal itself,” Napier said. “It’s the combination of the portal and NIL. We spent an entire year developing systems for the portal and NIL. I feel confident that we’re in a good place.”
Billy Napier is in year two of being the head ball coach, but if he wants to stick around and keep using the portal to Florida’s benefit, the wins need to start pouring in.
The coach and his group of transfers have a long season ahead of them, which leaves plenty of time to become a cohesive unit.
Gator Talk is a weekly event taking place every Thursday in Celebration Pointe. Radio host Sean Kelley hits the air at 7 p.m. and welcomes a new guest every with every edition.
The Florida Gators have their home opener on Saturday when the McNeese State Cowboys try to redeem their loss. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. EDT and will air on ESPNU.
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