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Billy Napier Acknowledges Stubbornness, Says He Will Stop Calling Plays at James Madison

He says failing to delegate during his Florida tenure left his staff overburdened and cost him his job, and he will change course as he rebuilds at JMU.

Overview

  • Napier publicly accepted responsibility for problems at Florida, saying he was "a little stubborn" and did not adapt to the extra work created by NIL deals and the transfer portal.
  • He confirmed he will not call offensive plays at James Madison and said handing play-calling to a coordinator is a correction of a mistake he made in Gainesville.
  • Napier was fired midseason at Florida after a 22-23 run as head coach but is credited with rebuilding recruiting infrastructure and helping launch an NIL collective.
  • He expressed personal regret that his firing led to many assistants losing their jobs and said that protecting staff livelihoods remains his deepest regret from the Florida exit.
  • The comments highlight a wider trend in college football toward specialist staffs and delegation as programs cope with NIL, the transfer portal, and heavier recruiting workloads.