Florida football will be playing in a bowl game this month after missing out on the postseason last fall. This year, the Gators will be facing the Tulane Green Wave in the Gasparilla Bowl — an event the Orange and Blue last played in after the 2021 campaign.
A lot has happened over the past week, including the announcement of the matchup as well as the opening of the NCAA transfer portal, all of which followed a successful early signing day haul. Things have been trending upward for the Orange and Blue, but there still remains some business to be settled.
With a week remaining before the big bowl game in Tampa, [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] spoke to the sports media about the current status of the Florida football program.
Opening statement
“Obviously really excited about another opportunity to compete with this team. It’s great to be in the state, to have an opportunity to go over to Tampa and play – very thankful for that opportunity.
“It’s going to be one more time where Gator Nation can get together here, and there’s no better place to do it than in Tampa. We have a ton of respect for our opponent and Coach (Jon) Sumrall, I’ve known him, have familiarity with him, and he’s done an exceptional job. One of the best young coaches in the country, and I think we’ll be talking about him for a long time.
“So they’ve done a great job, obviously, played for the championship this year. Having competed against Tulane in the past, that part of the country, the athletes that they have, the pride on how they compete this is a team that beat Southern Cal a couple years ago in the bowl game, and then obviously played Kansas State very close this past season.
“So, we knocked the rust off the last couple days, and we are going to be full gear today, put the ball down and turn it up out there. We’ll change gears tomorrow and begin our preparation for the opponent.”
On playing the bowl game in Tampa
“I think there’s a lot of angles there. The way the dominoes fell in the playoff I think affected our league in general from a bowl perspective. But at this point, our crew, we get another opportunity to compete again. We get to be together for another couple of weeks.
“Obviously, we get to lift, run, stay in football condition, practice a few more times. All of the players that we have that redshirted will be available for the game. There’ll be some opportunities with the portal for some of those young guys to get some valuable snaps. So this is a big deal.
“For me, the timeline is a blessing to some degree. We play on the 20th, our players and our staff will be at home for Christmas, and then we get a couple weeks off prior to coming back and understanding that we have to kind of work to do to prepare for next year.
“So we want to keep the momentum we have, and I think to do that, we have to focus on what’s next, and that’s getting ready for this bowl game.”
On Pyburn’s details getting released publicly
“I don’t know that I’m prepared to comment publicly on that. Look, man, I love Jack Pyburn. I love him like a son. He’s made a tremendous impact on our team, not only with his production on the field, but his attitude, his energy.
“I think obviously, these things are to be determined, but I have nothing but respect for Jack as a teammate, as a competitor. And these things are unfortunate. But I do think time will tell. But in general, I’m not prepared to comment publicly on that.”
Level of buy-in ahead of bowl game
“I don’t see any other path here. We’ll be – look this group, I think it’s become part of their identity, we talk a lot in terms of, it doesn’t matter who the opponent is, where we’re playing, what time we’re playing, who’s available. It’s kind of become part of our DNA.
“When they put the ball down and kick the thing off, we’ll be ready to go. In general here, we don’t anticipate a lot of players not playing in the game, so we’ll be ready to go.”
Will Amir Jackson play in bowl game?
“Amir is on – there’s a list of players who redshirted this year that will be available for the bowl game – Amir is one of those. Amir’s been able to take reps with our second group the majority of the season.
“He’s really made a lot of progress. He’s tough. He still has a ton of room for growth. He’s improving as a route runner, just his overall knowledge of the system. But he’s not scared. He’s physical. Every day I see him get a little bit better.
“He’s getting good leadership from Hayden Hansen, that group of guys that are a little bit older. But we’re really excited about that group when you think about getting Hayden back, Tony Livingston, who we consider – he’s played quite a bit over the last month. And then Amir Jackson, Caleb Rillos, Scott Isacks is another player that we have a ton of confidence in.
“So just in general there, looking forward to watching those guys continue to grow and develop.”
On seniors opting into bowl game
“Yeah, look, I think some of those are business decisions, you know? I mean, I think there’s always going to be some situations that we maybe we don’t quite understand, whether it’s injuries or surgeries or, you know, hey, the guys got a really high draft grade.
“You know, what’s the level of risk relative to the reward? But just in general, I think this team, there’s a huge level of loyalty, you know? I mean, I think they have a tremendous amount of respect. They’ve got an obligation to each other.
“Yeah, I just think in general here, we would not be where we’re at today without a group that has that type of camaraderie, chemistry, morale, whatever you want to call it. So one thing that’s proved to be true is that regardless of who’s available for each game, the group that we put out there is going to be ready to do their job for the team, and this bowl game will be the same way.”
On young guys developing with extra practices
“Well, this turnaround here is a little bit different, you know? I mean, I think we’re playing pretty quick in the process, right?
“So, we have practiced the last couple of days. Little bit more back to the basics. We ran and lifted, and then we transition. So, I think we got, you know, we’ve been trying to get back into our rhythm from a football perspective.
“So, we’ve been in shells the last two days, really working on basics, fundamentals, tackling, takeaways, ball security, a lot of individual time, and then reiterating the importance of the fundamentals of the game. So today we will compete, right? So, we’ll be in full gear.
“You know, we’ve got a very competitive slate for today, dividing everybody up, and then this one’s going to be a lot of fun today. So we’ll take a day off tomorrow, and then we’ll turn the page and begin prep for Tulane.”
Importance of practicing while hosting portal visits
“Yeah. So, I think one of the cool things about this window is that we are practicing, we are having meetings, we are lifting weights, we’re running. So, I think the players that are in on visits, not only the portal players, but a lot of ’26 recruits that have been on campus, they get a little bit of an inside look at what that workload looks like, that culture, you know, the format of practice, the attention to detail, the discipline, and then they get to be around the players.
“You know, we can not only sell the University of Florida to them, but we also can evaluate them and get them around our players, get our players opinions on them as people as fits here. But yeah, I think it’s a great time to have people in. I think especially players that maybe are a little bit older, that, you know, the football is the main part of the decision.
“I think it’s really healthy for them to see us practice. And again, like you mentioned before, momentum is key, and we’ve got some now, we need to keep it and certainly this ball game is one of the next steps in that regard.”
Is NIL a factor in opt-outs?
“I don’t think it is with our dynamic. I think maybe at other places it is from what I hear, but I think ultimately for us, yeah, but they’re just making these are just business decisions, right? Do I expose myself to injury relative to prep for combine, Pro Day?
“Look, it’s been around as long as time, as long as we’ve been playing these games, right? So, look, there’ll be some things to work through, like there always is, I think big picture for me, I’m just thankful for the group of players that we have. They’ve embraced the work.
“We’ve had some great practices so far. And look, this is a developmental game. I mean, this is a game where you need to practice and play to get better at it. And, I think our guys are aware of that.”
On talent acquisition windows changing
“I think it’s worked out pretty good. I think breaking up the high school portion of your signees, you know, the last week, and then, you know, you kind of turn the page to player retention and the portal. Now obviously if you’re playing in a championship game, there would have been some things that come with that, if you’re in the playoff, so the championship teams are navigating signing day at the same time.
“Most of the business is done at that point, you know, maybe a few things, but you’re always recruiting during the season, right. I mean, heck, I do phone calls every day of the week outside of Tuesday during the season. So, you know, I think that that would be the challenging part, if you’re in a championship game the week of signing day, and then also now you’re navigating player retention and portal evaluations and visits during the playoff.
“But look, I think it’s better than what we had before. Is it perfect? I’m not sure. I do think being here with our players instead of being on the road is a positive. You know I think just the pace of the job now for the assistant coaches, you know, they’re sleeping in their own bed, they’re around their wives, their kids. I think that’s healthy in general.”
On portal allowing rapid roster rebuild
“Yeah. I mean, I think ultimately, a good balance, right? I mean, I think we still firmly believe in the high school recruitment and development of players, you know, I think especially given the cap model that is ahead, right?
“So, you know, to me, it’s similar to the NFL, the majority of your work is done through the Draft, and then you’re always trying to plug in a few pieces to the puzzle through the free agency, in which obviously the portal is much the same, right? So we’re headed towards a cap model with a little bit more accountability from a contractual standpoint, which would be healthy for the game, and we’re trying to build our team with the anticipation of that process.
“So, yeah, I mean, a lot of this is new, you know. You got budgets, you got caps, you’re trying to – can’t make everybody happy. And I think again, I go back to what I’ve said the last year: The important piece is the mental makeup of the kid.
“You know, what type of foundation from a character-value standpoint, and then do they fit, right? Do they fit the voice of reason around the player, the circle of influence, the parents, all of which are, I think, more important than they’ve ever been in the past, in terms of the evaluation.
“And look, you can, you know, I don’t think it’s our approach is, look, we don’t oversell, we don’t overpromise. We try to be as transparent and sincere as we can be, and when they get here, it is what we said it was going to be, and they end up sticking and have a good experience.
“So, so far so good in that regard. We got to continue to, you know – it’s like a wet towel, man, you got to get every drop out of it you can get. So, yeah, so far, so good.”
On peace of mind as a coach having portal
“Oh yeah, I mean, it’s definitely a less, less panic, you know, maybe when you miss out in the high school class, you know. We’ve had some scenarios like that in the past, right, where we didn’t fulfill our quota at a certain position, and then, you know, you just kind of moved to the next opportunity to acquire a player, you know.
“Couple years ago we struck out an inside linebacker, and then we were able to, you know, fill some needs there to help us get through a season. Yeah, I think there’s no question, you know, really, if you think about it, there’s four opportunities to acquire a player each cycle. And you know, you can also lose players, right? So you got to evaluate your team in each one of those periods of time, right, ‘what do we need?’
“You know, last year in the spring, we felt like we needed another productive receiver. We went and got Badger, same thing a couple years ago, went and got Pearsall. I mean, every cycle presents opportunity to evaluate your team and add a player to the team if you need to.”
How to watch Gasparilla Bowl
The Gators will face the Green Wave in the Gasparilla Bowl held inside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on Dec. 20. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
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