Head coach Kirby Smart made it plain why Billy Napier still commands respect in SEC rooms.

After the Georgia football team eked out a 24-20 win over Florida in Jacksonville, Smart credited the recently fired Gators coach for assembling a physical roster that “fights,” underscoring how thin the margins are in this league and why Georgia’s late defensive stand mattered as much as any style points down the stretch. In a season of knife-edge results, Smart’s message was that Florida is still built to punch back, and Napier had a hand in that.

On Tuesday, that respect took an interesting turn, and yes, the timing raised eyebrows. Per On3/UGASports, multiple sources confirmed that former Florida coach Billy Napier dropped by Georgia’s football team practice in Athens.

It’s not unusual for out-of-work coaches to visit programs during the year, and Kirby Smart’s history with Napier goes back to their Alabama overlap, where Napier worked as an analyst in 2011 and later coached wide receivers from 2013 to 2016.

Still, the coincidence is rich: Georgia hosts Texas on Saturday night, and Napier’s former Gators beat Texas 29-21 on October 5. On3 noted the visit without specifying a purpose, but context writes its own subtext.

Napier’s arc is well known. After a one-year OC/QB stop at Arizona State in 2017 and a 40–12 run at Louisiana from 2018–21, he took the Florida job in 2022. He went 22–23 over 45 games and was dismissed two weeks before the annual Georgia-Florida tilt, with an estimated buyout in the $21.2 million range.

Article Continues Below

Smart, postgame, still praised the roster build and the fight. In the interim, Billy Gonzales is steering Florida while the Gators conduct their search.

For Georgia, the visit fits the program’s open-door-to-ball-coaches culture. The Bulldogs have long operated as a networking hub for NFL and college minds alike, whether for scheme audits, personnel perspective, or simple professional courtesy.

With Texas looming, anything Napier offered would have been legal and routine, and the Bulldogs hardly need outside voices to set their plan. But iron sharpens iron, and Smart rarely passes on fresh eyes.

The depth chart, not the guest list, will define November. Georgia suffered a significant blow with starting defensive lineman Jordan Hall ruled out for the season following a knee injury sustained against Florida, per CBS and later confirmed by On3’s Pete Nakos. Expect Elijah Griffin, Nnamdi Ogboko, Nassir Johnson, and JJ Hanne to absorb snaps as Georgia’s front is stress-tested immediately.

So in the end, Smart’s program keeps its circle wide. Napier’s pop-in is more about the fraternity than intrigue, while Georgia’s playoff push will hinge on cleaning up the little things and surviving the attrition that comes for every contender.