As our own Benjamin Henderson discussed in an article earlier on Wednesday, Billy Napier was silent after being fired from his head coaching position at Florida. So when it was reported that he was at Georgia’s practice with Kirby Smart on Tuesday, the rumors rightfully began to spin. Members of the media asked Smart point blank the reason Napier was there, his response, not exactly straight forward, but there supposedly was nothing career-driven about the performance.
As reported by Nick de la Torre of Florida Victorious, Napier and Smart are good friends who’ve known each other. Their dads were friends, they worked together when they were both at Alabama, have been friends since, and Napier “just dropped by in that capacity,” said Smart, whose Georgia Bulldogs take on the Texas Longhorns Saturday at 7:30 PM ET. Perhaps a win that many thought could keep Scott Strickland around: the Gators defeated Texas 29-21 earlier this year, so maybe Napier was giving Smart insight into what he saw? But Smart gave the reason for Napier’s visit as that they’re friends. That’s it.
Kirby Smart clears the air on Billy Napier
“I mean, people don’t understand relationships in coaches,” Smart told DawgNation.com in an interview. “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,” he stated. “They were well-respected people. He’s been a friend for a long time, so he dropped by, yeah, but that was really it.”
But just hours after it was reported he was at the Bulldogs’ facility, still this statement leaves questions in the minds of Gator fans. Could Smart and Napier’s friendship turn into Smart bringing Napier under his wing? By the time Florida vs Georgia rolls around in 2026, will Napier be on the UGA sidelines?
Time will tell. And all eyes will certainly remain around this conversation.