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Started By
Message
Billy Napier's records at ULL
Posted on 10/28/25 at 9:39 am
Posted on 10/28/25 at 9:39 am
7-7
11-3
10-1
12-1
If you were look at this, you would think you have an excellent coach on your hands. But that was not the reality and it's why taking a coach (Sumrall, etc) from the smaller schools is such a huge question mark. Now a lot of these teams are going to have no choice but to take that huge risk as it's very slim pickings for a good HC right now in the HC world. Only really Lane is a "proven" commodity that would potentially leave his spot, which may end up in him being the highest paid coach in the country.
11-3
10-1
12-1
If you were look at this, you would think you have an excellent coach on your hands. But that was not the reality and it's why taking a coach (Sumrall, etc) from the smaller schools is such a huge question mark. Now a lot of these teams are going to have no choice but to take that huge risk as it's very slim pickings for a good HC right now in the HC world. Only really Lane is a "proven" commodity that would potentially leave his spot, which may end up in him being the highest paid coach in the country.
18
Posted on 10/28/25 at 9:40 am to Contra
Nailed it…
Posted on 10/28/25 at 9:42 am to Contra
He is a disciple of Nick
Bottom line is he didnt have the name to go nationwide on a big scale to get top shelf talent. Co Tracy to what people think they know, he is a good coach.
Bottom line is he didnt have the name to go nationwide on a big scale to get top shelf talent. Co Tracy to what people think they know, he is a good coach.
This post was edited on 10/28/25 at 9:45 am
Posted on 10/28/25 at 9:44 am to Contra
I'm still of the belief that if Jon Sumrall wasn't already in Louisiana, nobody would want him
Alex Golesh has done similar things at USF, but I've seen like two people bring up his name, and NONE of them thought he could be the next Saban
I think this is the most important hire in program history, and I feel really uneasy about making it someone who hasn't at least done it in the power 4. If we're going with someone young, at least look at Kenny Dillingham before Sumrall...
Alex Golesh has done similar things at USF, but I've seen like two people bring up his name, and NONE of them thought he could be the next Saban
I think this is the most important hire in program history, and I feel really uneasy about making it someone who hasn't at least done it in the power 4. If we're going with someone young, at least look at Kenny Dillingham before Sumrall...
Posted on 10/28/25 at 9:45 am to Contra
quote:Depends on how you define "proven."
Only really Lane is a "proven" commodity
Posted on 10/28/25 at 9:45 am to Contra
I agree with you. I am leary of small school head coaches.
If you look at the playoffs last year, 8/12 HCs were coordinators before their first P5 HCing job.
only Cig and Heupel were G5 Team HCs. The Boise St Hc was their Dc but they were are a G5 team.
If you look at the playoffs last year, 8/12 HCs were coordinators before their first P5 HCing job.
only Cig and Heupel were G5 Team HCs. The Boise St Hc was their Dc but they were are a G5 team.
This post was edited on 10/28/25 at 9:46 am
Posted on 10/28/25 at 9:50 am to Contra
You have to look at more than just the record. Lots of guys end up with a three or four year run because they happened onto some special players. Curley Hallman is a very extreme example of this, but there are many others.
The thing about a Sumrall is that he did it at 2 schools. I’m not saying he’s the guy we need to get, just saying that that is a relevant data point
The thing about a Sumrall is that he did it at 2 schools. I’m not saying he’s the guy we need to get, just saying that that is a relevant data point
Posted on 10/28/25 at 9:56 am to lsufan0582
quote:
Alex Golesh has done similar things at USF
What similar things has Golesh done compared to Sumrall?
Golesh is on his first job, Sumrall is on his second. Sumrall has the much better overall win-loss record. Sumrall has played for a conference championship every year of his coaching career so far, while Golesh is seeking his first winning conference record. And Tulane blew out USF in their lone matchup against each other.
Posted on 10/28/25 at 9:56 am to Contra
quote:
it's why taking a coach (Sumrall, etc) from the smaller schools is such a huge question mark.
Every coach has some degree of risk. Riley and Kelly were highly successful major college coaches with multiple BCS/CFP appearances. Their hires were probably as "low risk" as reasonably possible. Yet, not even 4 years later Kelly has been fired and Riley has only had one season with less than 5 losses. This year he's already lost to 2 of the 3 (then) ranked teams he's played.
As for the Sumrall/Napier comparison, it took Napier a couple of years to get going at ULL. At Troy, Sumrall immediately turned a program that had 3 straight losing seasons into conf. champions. But even if you want to say that his efforts at Troy compare to Napier's at ULL, Sumrall has continued to win at Tulane in a more competitive conference.
Does that mean he would be great at LSU, or any P4 school? No. But there is a little more of a track record and LSU is already replacing the most qualified HC (at the time of hire) that the program ever hired.
There are NO guaranteed championships
Posted on 10/28/25 at 9:59 am to nvasil1
I would take Napier back at UL in a heartbeat but as someone who watched most of his games, he was always a mediocre gameday coach.
Some of his calls were absolutely baffling.
I remember a game against App St in a wind and rain storm where we fumbled like 5 punts in a row and he kept doing dumb shite over and over and they still somehow lucked out and won.
Napier is a good program builder but I think when you get to a level where talent is even like in the SEC, his lack of gameday Xs and Os stands out.
Some of his calls were absolutely baffling.
I remember a game against App St in a wind and rain storm where we fumbled like 5 punts in a row and he kept doing dumb shite over and over and they still somehow lucked out and won.
Napier is a good program builder but I think when you get to a level where talent is even like in the SEC, his lack of gameday Xs and Os stands out.
Posted on 10/28/25 at 9:59 am to yallallcrazy
He did it at 2 schools post NIL. That has changed the landscape of CFB
Posted on 10/28/25 at 10:06 am to Contra
quote:
If you were look at this, you would think you have an excellent coach on your hands.
Yes, and if you were to look at Brian Kelly's records you would have thought you had a great coach on your hands. Hence why you paid him what you did to come to LSU even though he was a horrible fit from a culture perspective. And hence why you are on the hook for a ~$50+ million buyout for a coach that wasn't even employed for 4 years.
I don't understand these takes considering who you just fired. Your school just proved that ANY coach can fail - even the supposed proven big whale. How dense are you?
Posted on 10/28/25 at 10:11 am to Contra
Sumrall has also continued winning after getting raided through the portal.
Appears Sumrall has more substance to his approach than Napier from the interviews I’ve listened to.
Appears Sumrall has more substance to his approach than Napier from the interviews I’ve listened to.
Posted on 10/28/25 at 10:20 am to Contra
It’s pretty much always a risk/question mark, though. Just because a coach is successful at one, two, or even three other places, there’s no guarantee he will be successful in the fourth. Variables matter.
Look at Kelly. He was successful everywhere he went. He was about as close as you could get to no risk. Who knew he was going to come in and pre-retire? Now he’s out just like Napier. Is LSU really in any better position right now than Florida from a coaching perspective because they took the lower risk option?
Look at Kelly. He was successful everywhere he went. He was about as close as you could get to no risk. Who knew he was going to come in and pre-retire? Now he’s out just like Napier. Is LSU really in any better position right now than Florida from a coaching perspective because they took the lower risk option?
Posted on 10/28/25 at 10:23 am to 44tiger
quote:
more substance to his approach than Napier
Napier’s a recruiter, ok position coach. He did great at UL because it’s just not as competitive conference.
He’s not some great offensive mind, student of the game, not a program builder. Not particularly great with donors/admin.
I thought when he got the job at Florida that maybe they knew something I didn’t. Never saw that, so …. Not much more to see.
Sumrall is a little different from Napier. Higher chance of success.
Posted on 10/28/25 at 10:25 am to Contra
Napier was the worst possible hire at the worst possible time for UF. Honestly, he would have been a decent hire in 2010, but in 2020, you couldn't have picked a worse head coach.
With NIL and the transfer portal and all the changes that came along with it, he simply refused to adapt from what he had written in his binder. He was also an idiot with play calling and game management.
With NIL and the transfer portal and all the changes that came along with it, he simply refused to adapt from what he had written in his binder. He was also an idiot with play calling and game management.
Posted on 10/28/25 at 10:28 am to lsufan0582
quote:
Alex Golesh has done similar things at USF, but I've seen like two people bring up his name, and NONE of them thought he could be the next Saban
Yep and I like Golesh more than sumrall
Posted on 10/28/25 at 10:30 am to generalgator87
ironically napier might have worked out at florida if he hired an OC day one and just focused on the program
his terrible play calling and stubborness sealed his fate
his terrible play calling and stubborness sealed his fate
Posted on 10/28/25 at 10:33 am to yallallcrazy
quote:
but there are many others.
Like Ed Orgeron and Gene Chizik?
Posted on 10/28/25 at 10:34 am to Contra
quote:
If you were look at this, you would think you have an excellent coach on your hands. But that was not the reality and it's why taking a coach (Sumrall, etc) from the smaller schools is such a huge question mark. Now a lot of these teams are going to have no choice but to take that huge risk as it's very slim pickings for a good HC right now in the HC world. Only really Lane is a "proven" commodity that would potentially leave his spot, which may end up in him being the highest paid coach in the country.
The thing that has to be frustrating for Florida people is that a lot of the stuff Billy was doing was right. Josh Pate said if you didn't know anything about college football and walked into Ohio State, Georgia, and Florida you wouldn't be able to tell which program wins the most games.
Billy's issue was that he was a dogshit playcaller and too stubborn to give it up. He was willing to die on his sword about calling plays, and sure enough he did it.
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