Former Colleagues, Tosh Lupoi Shares High Praise to Gators HC Billy Napier
The Florida Gators recently hired one of the more well-respected up-and-comers within the coaching ranks when athletic director Scott Stricklin sought out and landed Billy Napier from Louisianna-Lafayette. Napier would go on to win the Sun Belt Conference Championship this season, ending his four-year tenure with the program on a high note.
While Napier found plenty of success during his time at ULL, his success leading up to his head coaching gig is also worth mentioning. Napier was an assistant coach under Nick Saban for several seasons, working with other well-respected coaches, too.
One of his former colleagues, Jaguars defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi, worked alongside Napier at Alabama from 2014-16. At the time, Lupoi was the program's defensive analyst (2014) and outside linebackers coach (2015-16), while Napier was the program's wide receivers coach (2013-16).
Following the Jaguars' practice on Thursday, AllGators asked Lupoi about his former colleague, the excitement he has for him, and what the new Gators HC will bring to the table at Florida.
"Yeah, I'm really excited for Billy. He's a great coach," Lupoi noted when asked about Napier.
"I think Billy, I think we were together for two years there, so pumped for him. I think it's a great hire. And you know, just excited for him. He's a good coach. He's one that's all about the attention to detail. He's one that attacks the process and you know, I think highly of him so, excited for him."
Napier, along with all other former Alabama assistant coaches, has certainly taken what Saban instilled within the Alabama football program to heart, making sure to carry the torch of being a very detail-oriented program. That was clear during Napier's introductory press conference last Sunday, too.
For Lupoi, he's always thought highly of his former colleague and believes he will be successful moving forward.
"I always thought highly of him," Lupoi said. "Really respected the way he went about his business and, you know, it makes sense of the success that he's had. So I'm excited for him."
Napier holds a record of 40-12 as a head coach, winning the Sun Belt four times from 2018-21, and the conference twice (2021, shared the title in 2020). He also won Sun Belt Coach of the Year two times in 2019 and '21, respectively.
Lupoi has also been rumored as a candidate to join Napier's UF staff at some point. The Gators have hired one co-defensive coordinator, Patrick Toney, with the intention of hiring another but have yet to fill the second "co" position. They've also yet to fill their defensive line and linebackers coaching positions, leaving speculation for a reunion of the two former Alabama assistants.
When asked about the rumor that has circulated, Lupoi stated he is simply focused on the task at hand with the Jaguars, defeating the Tennessee Titans this week. He added he's not one to talk on the phone or with colleagues during the week, either.
“I'm going to absolutely attack and focus in and hone in on our task at hand and that's beating the Tennessee Titans," said Lupoi. "So anything else is an afterthought for me.”
Time will tell whether or not the two will join forces again, but it's clear the respect that Napier has earned throughout his career, now leading the Gators in Gainesville.
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