that he paid like a squad with a ton of SEC or similar experience. Toney and Armstrong each had 1-2 seasons as a DC - none at power 5 schools. He more than tripled their salaries when brought to UF and paid them over 1 million each - the avg for a good SEC DC. Napier wanted a budget similar to or equal to the big spenders in the SEC. I imagine UF agrees as they assumed he’d hire an experienced and competent big boy staff. He did not. Instead he paid his sun belt cronies as if they were. He could have hired Toney and Armstrong for half of what he paid them. What else were they gonna do? Armstrong stay at Bama as a LB coach making less? Toney stay at ULL or go to Texas tech (as Napier claimed Toney was gonna do) and get paid $500,00 or less? Rob Sale at a million dollars? He is incompetent. it isn’t just that he brought in a staff of duds he paid them like studs. (I can understand paying Corey Raymond- he was a known commodity. Maybe didn’t work out but salary was justified).
I'm not to the point of pity yet(dude is about to walk away with several million dollars, and will likely get an opportunity to go back and coach winning football in one of the smaller conferences). If he was doing things like replacing coaches that aren't getting it done with coaches that have been there and had success that would be one thing. Or admitting that he made a mistake and was actively making changes( like hiring dedicated and qualified OC/DC and ST coach) and still failing, then I might feel bad for him. As it is though he's being stubborn in his choices, and dismissing fans by telling them "to trust the process" the past 3 years while the team still has the same issues as when he arrived is totally different. I've lost faith that this team could even beat the SEC bottom dwellers, and I'm just hoping that they're waiting till after this game to make a change. Having just read the coaching experience of our staff, I'd be curious to see Gonzales as the interim coach especially with being part of re-establishing the winning culture and standards that took place when he was here previously under Meyer
You lost all credibility when you said “go back to winning!” Just kidding, I agree with your assessment. I just can’t associate Naps with the word “winning” moving forward since it’s never mentioned in his plan, not part of his priorities, and not being close to happening.
Totally agree with this, and his 12-16 record here reflects it. He did well in the Minors, not everyone is built for the big leagues.
That was one of the more bizarre articles I've ever read: scout team, concerned about what happens between plays on defense, tamping down expectations because of a running QB. I'm not sure that "WTF?" covers it.
Yep. And the process he imported from South Northeat West Louisiana Monroe Lafayette Poly Tech College, doesn't contemplate a scout team, bc they didn't have one.
My heartfelt condolences to you, Bazza. My mother was 98 when we lost her a few years ago - and was of that same great generation as your mother. For me, not a day goes by I don’t have some wonderful remembrance of her… Keep those good thoughts foremost in your mind and she will always be with you.
A) The duds paid like studs line is a keeper. B) I wonder if there will be any hindsight reevaluation of coaches like Raymond in a way similar to the players who transferred out, were criticized as no big loss, but are performing at high levels elsewhere while their replacements here look no better or are worse. I know Raymond in particular looked totally disengaged on the sidelines his last few games and certainly looked like a guy just cashing ill gotten checks. But what if he was being misused like those players and there wasn't anything he could do to make it better before getting out of here? I have no insight into what actually happened, but seems at least possible in retrospect that the one defensive coach with lots of big time experience was a square peg in the round hole of newbies and small school guys.
Really good post and if I can add something... Back when I used to hire people one of my big mistakes was looking for the opposite of the last person- especially if the person who left did so on bad terms. So I found myself looking for a sunny bright person to replace a dour no-nonsense person. IMO this is what happened with Napier/ Mullen. SS was so done with Mullen. It's obvious Mullen was hard to work with- and was not a program builder. In walks Billy with his plans, his good personality, his army of analysts, his focus on recruiting. But no one asked the biggest question- CAN THIS GUY COACH IN THE SEC!! IMO- the bad hire thing is forgivable. It's not good, but it's forgivable. This crazy contract given to Napier is unforgivable.
I was not a Scout, but was a Scout Leader for my son's troop and really enjoyed the journey to his Eagle rank. I did complete the Order of the Arrow with him.
I'm so sorry for your loss, brother Bazza. I, too, lost my mother, and it's tough... I send you my deepest condolences in this most painful time in life. I wish you good health, too.
Spot on unfortunately. Read ^^^^, look at how unprepared and cheated our players have been, watch Napier's press conferences where he's always struggling to be coherent, then it starts to sink in how completely over his head he is. Not sure the guy is even a D1 position coach. Stricklin's job was to vet, confirm, test, check references, make sure we were hiring a capable HC. Add the obvious issues over the first two seasons and off seasons and Stricklin should have been well aware it probably wasn't going to work out. Does our AD know what great programs do to be ready to play? Was he inspecting practices, S&C, talking with players if necessary? If we are not prepared to hire a new coach, ie Stricklin was not already talking with his bosses about with whom or how a change might be made, then he's negligent and incompetent as well.
That's a very interesting perspective, and very plausible about what might have happened. I disagree about the hire being forgivable, though. SS has a hiring track record at UF that's not good. He's getting paid big bucks. If he has one miss: well, nobody's perfect. When it's a trend, especially in the scenario you describe (which he should know better at his experience and pay level), it's just as unacceptable as the contract.
I think I agree with most of this and it ticks me off a little. Add the incredible raise and golden parachute to be so bad?! What is going on. Throw in Sasse (truly non political) and wow to WTH?! Is anyone working at UF these days? Prez? AD? HBC? DC? Scout team? Bueller? Bueller?!
Hard to argue with that. I’m no AD , nor am I qualified. I’d like to think however that if I’d been in the business as an executive as long as he was, I’d have seen a practice or two. I’d have at least tried to watch an NFL practice or two if I had any connections. You should know what the product should look like is what I’m trying to say. Does he even know what it suppose to look like. I’ve seen a few practices here and there and there’s definitely a difference in how they are run.
