Napier's offensive style?

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Napier is his own quarterbacks coach, and he’ll call the plays at Louisiana, “because it’s as close as I can get to playing again,” he says with a smile. When he took over Arizona State’s offense last season, Napier created an abridged version of Alabama’s elaborate system, a one-back spread offense with pro alignments that can operate at varying speeds. The offense’s run game is mostly derived from longtime Alabama assistant Joe Pendry, and its play-action passing game comes from Lane Kiffin’s offense. The scheme includes some Air Raid from his stint in 2017 under former Sun Devils head coach Todd Graham, and he borrowed Jim McElwain’s tactics for instructing and teaching passers, something on display during this quarterback meeting.

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Napier says about 85% of what he is implementing in Lafayette is in the image of Saban’s program, but he has put his own twist on some items. He breaks up the calendar into eight phases: Foundation (the first two weeks of January), Identity (pre-spring training), Spring Practice, Discretionary (exams and exit meetings), Regimen (summer training), Fall Camp, In-Season and Postseason.

This winter’s workouts mimicked the Fourth Quarter Program that Saban crafted in his days at LSU with longtime Tigers strength coach Tommy Moffitt. Groups of a dozen players moved through four stations in a test of their conditioning, strength and endurance. Head strength coach Mark Hocke spent six seasons on Saban’s staff, moving from an intern who slept on other coaches’ couches to an associate strength staff member who parlayed his success to jobs with Georgia, Texas A&M and Florida State. “We’re cut from the same cloth,” Hocke says, “from that organization in Tuscaloosa.”

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SI.com
It's a long article, but a great insight into Napier and what he brings to the program.

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Napier says about 85% of what he is implementing in Lafayette is in the image of Saban’s program,

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Les Miles never learned this, but you won't ever beat Bama at their own game. They will always have more talent. You have to become very good at the style they struggle wide (RPO or HUNH).


LSU should stop trying to copy Bama.

Hey Bayou, quick question. Are you Napier's uncle or brother-in-law???

You pitch him so hard there must be a connection?

Napier was 1b to Fickell’s 1a for me, but I think this article may have flipped them. Napier just felt like the next Saban before knowing he uses the same system; this article bolsters that.

Also, I believe the power spread is the best offense for sustained success in the current college fb landscape. Our 2019 offense was more high flying, but the power spread allows for a more physical team over time (as has been discussed on TD since the Les Miles early days, due to the scheme faced in practice by the defense every day). A more physical team usually means a better defense, and the physicality really shines in late game scenarios. (See tOSU under Urban and Alabama since Kiffin). It also allows for a shootout if more points need to be scored. Not to mention, it’s one of the offenses Saban’s D has struggled with historically. I know he won’t be here long, but the SEC is full of former assistants running his schemes.

For the record, I’d also be fine with Aranda. His program would be different from a Saban blueprint, but would still be very well designed. My only major concern would be that he is wasn’t known as a great recruiter.

Don’t want Kiffin, Jimbo, or BOB. I don’t know enough about Mel Tucker to have an opinion, but he was a great DC if nothing else.