 Napier after the 2024 Gasparilla Bowl | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Florida |
| Conference | SEC |
| Record | 19–19 |
| Annual salary | $7.1 million[1] |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | (1979-07-21)July 21, 1979 (age 45) Cookeville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1999–2002 | Furman |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2003–2004 | Clemson (GA) |
| 2005 | South Carolina State (QB) |
| 2006–2008 | Clemson (TE/RC) |
| 2009–2010 | Clemson (OC/QB) |
| 2011 | Alabama (analyst) |
| 2012 | Colorado State (AHC/QB) |
| 2013–2016 | Alabama (WR) |
| 2017 | Arizona State (OC/QB) |
| 2018–2021 | Louisiana |
| 2022–present | Florida |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 59–31 |
| Bowls | 3–2 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
2Sun Belt (2020–2021)
3SEC (2014–2016) 3SEC Western Division (2013–2016) | |
| Awards | |
| 2×Sun Belt Coach of the Year (2019, 2021) | |
William Hall Napier (born July 21, 1979)[2] is anAmerican football coach currently serving ashead coach at theUniversity of Florida. From 2017 until 2021, he was head coach at theUniversity of Louisiana, amassing a 40–12 record in four seasons with three consecutive 10+ win seasons and two seasons finishing in the AP Poll, both firsts in the program's history. Prior to Louisiana, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach atArizona State University in 2017.
Born inCookeville, Tennessee, Napier was a standoutquarterback forMurray County High School in his hometown ofChatsworth, Georgia, where he played for his father who was his head coach.[2] He was named All-State in 1997 and accepted a scholarship to play football atFurman University.[3] During his time with theFurman Paladins, Napier was a four-time letterman, and took over the starting quarterback duties for his junior and senior seasons. The Paladins won two conference championships during Napier's time there, and he was selected to two All-Southern Conference teams at quarterback.[4]In his junior year, he led his team to the2001 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game, losing toMontana, 13–6.[5] He earned second-team All-Southern Conference honors in 2001 and 2002. Napier was college teammates withNEEDTOBREATHE vocalistBear Rinehart from 1999-2002; the pair set numerous team records together.[6][7]
After graduating from Furman, Napier headed toClemson as agraduate assistant. Following a two-year stint as a GA at Clemson, he was then hired as the QB coach atSouth Carolina State in 2004. After only one year with SC State, Napier chose to return to Clemson when he accepted a job with dual roles astight ends coach andrecruiting coordinator onTommy Bowden's staff. In his third year as TE coach and recruiting coordinator, Tommy Bowden resigned midseason after early season struggles that failed to meet high expectations, and Napier gave up his roles as RC and TE coach when he was named QB coach by newly appointed interim head coachDabo Swinney. His new role also included assisting Swinney with the playcalling duties for the remainder of the year.[8]
When Swinney was promoted from interim head coach to full-time head coach after the 2008 season, Napier was promoted tooffensive coordinator while retaining his duties as QB coach.[9] After a 2009 season where Clemson would go on to win the ACC Atlantic Division behind the strength of Napier's offense that scored a then school record 436 points,[10]
A steep reduction in Clemson's offensive output led to Napier's termination at the end of the 2010 season.[11] Within only a few weeks of being dismissed as OC at Clemson, Napier was contacted byNick Saban fromAlabama and offered a job as an offensive analyst. After spending the 2011 season as an analyst on Saban's staff, Napier earned a championship ring following Alabama's win over LSU in the BCS National Championship Game. As a result of his experience under Saban during the 2011 season as well as the time spent working closely with fellow Alabama assistantJim McElwain, Napier was able to get back into hands-on coaching by following McElwain toColorado State to become the QB coach and assistant head coach. Napier did not stay in Colorado for long—he was hired in January 2013 byJimbo Fisher, then head coach atFlorida State, to be the team's tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator, but departed less than a month later as Saban brought him back to Tuscaloosa to take over fromMike Groh as WR coach going into the 2013 season.[12][13]
After a four-year stint as Alabama's WR coach including a second national championship in January 2016, he was hired byTodd Graham to become offensive coordinator atArizona State.[14] In Napier's first season back at OC since being fired as Clemson's OC back in 2010, his offense led Arizona State to finish with a 7–5 record and aSun Bowl trip. Arizona State fired head coach Todd Graham after the 2017 season and brought in former NFL coachHerm Edwards, who stated publicly that Napier would be able to continue in his role as OC if he would like. However, Napier declined the opportunity to remain at ASU as the offensive coordinator.[15]
On December 15, 2017, Napier was named the 26th football head coach at theUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette replacingMark Hudspeth.[16] His first season with the team resulted in a win of the Sun Belt Conference's West division and a bowl appearance (aCure Bowl loss to theTulane Green Wave), with a 5–3 conference record and a 7–7 overall record.
Prior to the2019 season, Napier's Cajuns were picked to finish first in the West Division[citation needed] and picked to finish second in the conference[citation needed], one vote behindAppalachian State. In addition, eight of his Cajuns were selected to the preseason all-conference team, a feat not accomplished since the earlyHudspeth years.[17] Napier's 2019 Cajuns finished with an 11–3 overall record (7–1 conference) and defeated theMiami RedHawks 27–17 in the2020 LendingTree Bowl (January), his first bowl victory with the Cajuns and as a head coach. The following season, the Cajuns won2020 First Responder Bowl.
On November 28, 2021, Napier was named the 28th head football coach at theUniversity of Florida, replacingDan Mullen.[18] He was officially announced by Florida via a press conference on December 5, 2021.
Napier amassed an 11–14 record in his first two seasons at Florida.[19][20] Going into the2024 season, he faced what many called the most difficult schedule in the country.[21][22] On Saturday, August 31, 2024, the Gators kicked off that schedule with a home loss to their rivalMiami Hurricanes, which marked the Gators first loss in a home opener since 1989 and the most points (41) given up in a home opener in program history.[23] Despite a difficult schedule, Napier led the team to a 7–5 mark in the regular season.[24] He led the team to a 33–8 win over Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl.[25]
Napier's record of 18–19 (as of Dec. 19) was the worst win percentage by a Florida coach during their tenure since Raymond Wolf, who coached from 1946–49. He also had more home losses (6) in his first 28 games overall thanUrban Meyer had in 80 total games (5) andSteve Spurrier had in 150 overall games (5).[26]
Napier resides inGainesville, Florida, with his wife, Ali, and three children.[27] He is aChristian.[28] Napier's brother, Matt, is the head football coach atLaGrange High School in Lagrange, Georgia.
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns(Sun Belt Conference)(2018–2021) | |||||||||
| 2018 | Louisiana | 7–7 | 5–3 | T–1st(West) | LCure | ||||
| 2019 | Louisiana | 11–3 | 7–1 | 1st(West) | WLendingTree | ||||
| 2020 | Louisiana | 10–1 | 7–1 | 1st(West)[29] | WFirst Responder | 16 | 15 | ||
| 2021 | Louisiana | 12–1 | 8–0 | 1st(West) | New Orleans[a] | 18 | 16 | ||
| Louisiana: | 40–12 | 27–5 | |||||||
| Florida Gators(Southeastern Conference)(2022–present) | |||||||||
| 2022 | Florida | 6–7 | 3–5 | T–4th(Eastern) | LLas Vegas | ||||
| 2023 | Florida | 5–7 | 3–5 | T–4th(Eastern) | |||||
| 2024 | Florida | 8–5 | 4–4 | 10th | WGasparilla | ||||
| Florida: | 19–19 | 10–14 | |||||||
| Total: | 59–31 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||