Kirby Smart Addresses Coach Billy Napier Being at Georgia's Practice

Head coach Kirby Smart addresses former Florida head coach Billy Napier being at Georgia's practice.

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier, left, and Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart shake hands after the game of an NCAA Football game Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. Georgia defeated Florida 43-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

Head coach Kirby Smart addresses former Florida head coach Billy Napier being at Georgia's practice.

The Georgia Bulldogs are gearing up for one of their biggest matchups of the 2025 college football season, as the team prepares to host the Texas Longhorns in Athens for a top-15 SEC showdown that will have College Football Playoff ramifications.

As preparations for the Dawgs' meeting with the Longhorns continue, an interesting report began to swirl around Athens earlier this week. According to reports, former Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier was present for a Bulldogs practice and was spotted at the Bulldogs' facility earlier this week.

Initial reports of Napier's presence in Athens were made by On3 and were later confirmed by an inside source with Bulldogs on SI. Coach Smart was then asked during the SEC teleconference on Wednesday why Napier was at practice. Here is what he said:

Kirby Smart Explains Why Billy Napier Was at Georgia's Practice

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart and Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier talk before the game before the first half at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, FL on Saturday, November 2, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun] | Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“I mean, people don’t understand relationships in coaches,” Smart said. “Coaches have a brotherhood and a fraternity together, and his dad was good friends with my dad. His dad was really good friends with Coach Bobo, and we all grew up in the state of Georgia with our fathers coaching high school football. They were well-respected people. He’s been a friend for a long time, so he dropped by, yeah, but that was really it.”

Napier coached the Florida Gators from 2022 to 2025 before he was dismissed from his duties earlier this season following a rough start for the Gators. He was relieved of his duties before the Bulldogs' victory over the Gators in Jacksonville.

It is worth noting that prior to Napier being fired from Florida, the Gators managed to hand Texas their second loss of the season at the Swamp. Given that Georgia plays the Longhorns this week, it's not crazy to think that Napier perhaps helping Georgia out a little bit. After all, as Coach Smart said, there is an existing relationship between the two coaches and a mutual amount fo respect.

This also wouldn't be the first time Georgia's football program brought insight from a former Florida coach. Will Muschamp has been a part of the Bulldogs' staff for the past few years and he was the head coach of the Gators for several years as well and had a stint with the South Carolina Gamecocks. If there is knowledge to be gained, Smart is going to find it.