Florida Football: 3 takeaways from Billy Napier’s Utah press conference

Florida football is officially in game week mode, and Billy Napier met with members of the media for his weekly press conference, which was held today since the Gators are playing next Thursday.

Napier opened the press conference by reiterating his commitment to program-wide culture before taking questions.

"“You want people walking around the building thinking that their role on the team and within the organization might just be the difference”"

Florida Football: No surprises

Napier was asked the burning question that will dictate the discussion for the week leading into Florida’s matchup and the status of Utah QB Cam Rising.

As has been chronicled with frequency, Rising tore his ACL during the Rose Bowl in January, and he still hasn’t been publically cleared to take the field on Thursday.

Napier what their approach is when preparing for who will be under center, whether it is Rising or someone else.

"“We are preparing for all of the above. They do have very capable players…we’re doing all the homework we can. They some unique players at quarterback that they have on the roster that cause you to evaluate all the scenarios that could happen”"

He is referring to Nate Johnson, who is a former four-star QB that Utah likes to use in special packages. Johnson is as fast as they come, with a verified 100-meter dash time of 10.56 seconds.

Altitude Adjustment

One of the hidden factors of this matchup will be the fact it is played at altitude. Salt Lake City is 4,265 ft above sea level.

So much like last season when the humidity was a major benefit for Florida football as Utah players were throwing up in the first quarter, Napier is very aware of the challenge ahead of them on the road.

"“We’ve spent extensive time researching (the altitude) relative to our sports science and our training staff. The research tells us to stay in our normal routine. It takes ten days to get adjusted. Get in, get out. We’ve met with a lot of NFL teams regarding that. We feel really good about our plan.”"

The past is in the past

As fans, we have confidence in the Gators because of what happened last season. Florida and Utah faced each other on the field, and the good guys came away with the victory.

But Napier isn’t holding on to that victory as any indication as to what will happen this season.

"“That game (last season) is going to have nothing to do with this game. The players on our team and the players on their team are going to line up and play this year.”"

The entire press conference can be found on YouTube.