11/20/2023 football Edit

Florida coach Billy Napier talks FSU, Rodemaker, Gators' QB situation

Patrick Burnham • TheOsceola

Football/Recruiting Analyst

Florida head coach Billy Napier held is weekly press conference in advance of his team's game against Florida State in Gainesville on Saturday. Napier spoke about where his program is after dropping to 5-6 with its loss to Missouri this past weekend. He also spoke about the Gators' quarterback situation, where redshirt freshman Max Brown will start in place of an injured Graham Mertz who will not be able to play this week.

Napier also addressed preparing for FSU. The Seminoles will be led by Tate Rodemaker, who will take over as the starting quarterback after Jordan Travis' injury.

Napier's Opening Statement: "A special week for a lot of reasons. Obviously, one of the more historic rivalries in all of college football. I think it is a privilege to have the opportunity to be a part of that, not only for our players but our entire organization. This is a game that matters 24/7/365. We are certainly excited about being in The Swamp, Saturday night, sold out crowd."

Napier on the importance of this week: "I think in weeks like this, it is important, every person within the organization and the team understand that their role matters. I think it's important that we, the people in leadership, players in particular, they need to go out of their way and be vocal about that, inmaking sure everyone knows that. I think there is something special about being a part of something that is larger than yourself. I think football creates that opportunity and we have to remember, I was talking to the accountability group just a while ago. And I think you got to ask your question, what does our team need from me and certainly weeks like this, I think that is magnified a little bit. You are in a position to serve, ultimately leadership is about service, so really challenged those guys between now and Tuesday, what does the team need from you and what are you going to bring to the table throughout the week. You know we control how we prepare. You can never lose sight of that, and I think it's important we, given the dynamic of this game, certainly the two quarterbacks and the situation there. I think there is going to be an element of that. So, we control our energy, we control our attitude, we control how we prepare. We all understand the importance and magnitude of the rivalry game and certainly an incredible opportunity for our team to be play against a well thought of Florida State football team."

Napier on preparing for the game with Max Brown as the starting quarterback: "I think ultimately we just have to play a brand of football relative to Max and his experience, what he knows and what he has confidence in. I think we still have to feature the players that we know are important each week but ultimately every offense that I have ever been a part of starts with what the quarterback can do well. That will be part of the plan, no different than, they (FSU) are going to be going through same dynamics."

Napier on Tate Rodemaker: "I've got a longstanding history with Rodemaker. His dad is a longtime friend of my dad. And when I was growing up, Coach Rodemaker was always around at different events and camps and things that we would go to. I think we even started the recruiting process with him a little bit at Louisiana. So, you know he is a coach's son, he is very bright, this is his fourth year in the system, he got there in '20. He has acquired reps throughout his time there and he will have a good grasp of what they do. A little bit different type player (than Jordan Travis) but certainly he's got his strengths and they've got terrific skill around him. There will be an element of experience and I think that is the big thing. And he's played, I think if you go back to the Louisville game last year, he had to step in there and play and certainly he's played a lot when the games have been in control, they have put him in there, so there is a pretty good sample size of him playing.

Napier on QB Max Brown replacing Mertz in the middle of the Missouri game: "I think Max did what I thought he would do. I think Max is a competitor. He's got a level of belief in himself, and he's always been a very confident guy. And you know, for the most part, I think we had the one ball exchange, the ball handling issue, outside of that, he did what he was supposed to do. I think we changed gears there a little bit there to try and help him out and I think, critical fourth-down throw into a tight window and then he threw a nice ball outside on the double move. First play he's in there, he throws a strike to Ricky (Pearsall) on the naked (bootleg), so he did a lot of good things. He's been working hard since the first day he got here, he's improved, and I tell you, I think he's got good connection and camaraderie with the players. So, I think they see him every day, they know who he is and what he is capable of."

Napier on how Brown, who is a better runner than Mertz, affects the offensive gameplan: "Yeah, that's what we do. Every offense that you have evolves off what the quarterback is really good at but certainly Max is a little bit different type of player. They're kind of going from Jordan Travis to Rodemaker and we are going from Graham Mertz to Max Brown, so there is an element of change for both teams. And that is part of the strategy relative to the game."

Napier on whether his team is better than its 5-6 record: "I think we are a team that can be competitive with about anybody, if that makes sense, we're capable of beating anybody and anybody is capable of beating us, if that make sense. I think that is kind of who we are. I think our struggles have been inconsistency. We've yet to put it together, a dominant performance in all three parts of our team ... We are what our record indicates. We've come up short in a handful of games and we can coach better and play better, so that's what I think about it."