New JMU Head Coach Billy Napier

[EastHallApp]

Proof these dudes are just... different. Florida has paid him $10 million of his $21 million buyout, then he's going to get $2.75 million for the next four years. Why, in the name of all that is good, would you go back into coaching immediately?!?!?! Go home! Travel! Play golf! Learn French! Why would you force yourself into the churn of recruiting and scheming and shaking hands with boosters and worrying about the portal and NIL???

Because he is a coach and that is what they do. If you are trying to improve your rep why not JMU. Best team in the Sunbelt, most money in the belt or darn close to it. Great AD, and a strong fanbase. If offered my bet is he would take it. It would put him back in the P4 in 2 to 3 years.

That’s what I’m saying. These coaches are psychopaths, or at least need some serious therapy.
If you just got $10 million dropped in your bank account, who cares about your “rep”?

Would you rather have a coach who's passionate about what he does, who's ultra-competitive, who cares about making your program the absolute best it can be? Or a coach who would prefer to be lounging around and taking vacations but stays on the job so he can keep cashing checks?

[Apptiger]

If the Tulane job is in play, wouldn’t that be a better get for him than JMU? Just thinking about resources, conference, recruiting, etc.

Nobody would take JMU over Tulane if both were on the table. My guess is Tulane moved on.

Napier never came up at Tulane. They had a list and he wasn't on it. Front Runners are said to be Blake Baker, LSU DC and Tulane grad. Tyson Helton HC at WKU, Shannon Dawson OC at Miami, Charles Huff and a couple of others. Huff is considered a long shot.

Baker is considered the favorite per the local press (today anyway). Baker has already been offered the job at Memphis and would have to take a substantial pay cut to take it so that's unlikely.
If Baker leaves LSU that will leave the Tigers with no DC and will probably lose some defensive staff too. Baker wants to be a head coach at a P4 team. IS his path to that through Tulame or as a DC on a Natty winning LSU? The latter worked for a lot of coaches Smart, Lanning......

[Cro-Magnon App]

The coaches he worked with and the experiences he had at Florida should make Napier a better coach.

[AppDub]

The coaches he worked with and the experiences he had at Florida should make Napier a better coach.

Not being a smart alleck here, but we shouldn't we think the same with Coach DL too?

[MrCraig]

Proof these dudes are just... different. Florida has paid him $10 million of his $21 million buyout, then he's going to get $2.75 million for the next four years. Why, in the name of all that is good, would you go back into coaching immediately?!?!?! Go home! Travel! Play golf! Learn French! Why would you force yourself into the churn of recruiting and scheming and shaking hands with boosters and worrying about the portal and NIL???

Because he is a coach and that is what they do. If you are trying to improve your rep why not JMU. Best team in the Sunbelt, most money in the belt or darn close to it. Great AD, and a strong fanbase. If offered my bet is he would take it. It would put him back in the P4 in 2 to 3 years.

That’s what I’m saying. These coaches are psychopaths, or at least need some serious therapy.
If you just got $10 million dropped in your bank account, who cares about your “rep”?

Would you rather have a coach who's passionate about what he does, who's ultra-competitive, who cares about making your program the absolute best it can be? Or a coach who would prefer to be lounging around and taking vacations but stays on the job so he can keep cashing checks?

You're missing my point, and I'm questioning even arguing this because it's kinda dumb. My point is, there has to be something different (not necessarily wrong; different) in the mind of a high level coach. Coaching, even at the high school level, is extremely stressful, takes time away from family and friends, and adds immense pressure onto the shoulders of the coach. Coaching at the collegiate level is arguably the most stressful level of coaching because you also have to worry about recruiting, fundraising, transfers, NIL, and the general idiocy of college students all on top of trying to win games.
My point is, if you were just handed an amount of money that 90% of the American population will never earn, why would you EVER voluntarily return to that high-stress, high-stakes lifestyle?
Maybe I'm the one who's different and weird and wrong, but if my employer handed me $10 million and said "go away," I'd be GONE gone. I'd spend the rest of my life fishing and golfing and going to my daughters' piano and cheer performances and MAYBE get a little job working at Home Depot or something just to pass the time.

[NattyBumppo'sRevenge]

There are two types of coaches entering the Sun Belt. Those on the way up and those on the way down.

Huff disagrees lol

touche'

[ASUTodd]

Proof these dudes are just... different. Florida has paid him $10 million of his $21 million buyout, then he's going to get $2.75 million for the next four years. Why, in the name of all that is good, would you go back into coaching immediately?!?!?! Go home! Travel! Play golf! Learn French! Why would you force yourself into the churn of recruiting and scheming and shaking hands with boosters and worrying about the portal and NIL???

Because he is a coach and that is what they do. If you are trying to improve your rep why not JMU. Best team in the Sunbelt, most money in the belt or darn close to it. Great AD, and a strong fanbase. If offered my bet is he would take it. It would put him back in the P4 in 2 to 3 years.

That’s what I’m saying. These coaches are psychopaths, or at least need some serious therapy.
If you just got $10 million dropped in your bank account, who cares about your “rep”?

Would you rather have a coach who's passionate about what he does, who's ultra-competitive, who cares about making your program the absolute best it can be? Or a coach who would prefer to be lounging around and taking vacations but stays on the job so he can keep cashing checks?

You're missing my point, and I'm questioning even arguing this because it's kinda dumb. My point is, there has to be something different (not necessarily wrong; different) in the mind of a high level coach. Coaching, even at the high school level, is extremely stressful, takes time away from family and friends, and adds immense pressure onto the shoulders of the coach. Coaching at the collegiate level is arguably the most stressful level of coaching because you also have to worry about recruiting, fundraising, transfers, NIL, and the general idiocy of college students all on top of trying to win games.
My point is, if you were just handed an amount of money that 90% of the American population will never earn, why would you EVER voluntarily return to that high-stress, high-stakes lifestyle?
Maybe I'm the one who's different and weird and wrong, but if my employer handed me $10 million and said "go away," I'd be GONE gone. I'd spend the rest of my life fishing and golfing and going to my daughters' piano and cheer performances and MAYBE get a little job working at Home Depot or something just to pass the time.

If someone paid me $10 dollars to go away, I'm on it......

[BambooRdApp]

Because he is a coach and that is what they do. If you are trying to improve your rep why not JMU. Best team in the Sunbelt, most money in the belt or darn close to it. Great AD, and a strong fanbase. If offered my bet is he would take it. It would put him back in the P4 in 2 to 3 years.

That’s what I’m saying. These coaches are psychopaths, or at least need some serious therapy.
If you just got $10 million dropped in your bank account, who cares about your “rep”?

Would you rather have a coach who's passionate about what he does, who's ultra-competitive, who cares about making your program the absolute best it can be? Or a coach who would prefer to be lounging around and taking vacations but stays on the job so he can keep cashing checks?

You're missing my point, and I'm questioning even arguing this because it's kinda dumb. My point is, there has to be something different (not necessarily wrong; different) in the mind of a high level coach. Coaching, even at the high school level, is extremely stressful, takes time away from family and friends, and adds immense pressure onto the shoulders of the coach. Coaching at the collegiate level is arguably the most stressful level of coaching because you also have to worry about recruiting, fundraising, transfers, NIL, and the general idiocy of college students all on top of trying to win games.
My point is, if you were just handed an amount of money that 90% of the American population will never earn, why would you EVER voluntarily return to that high-stress, high-stakes lifestyle?
Maybe I'm the one who's different and weird and wrong, but if my employer handed me $10 million and said "go away," I'd be GONE gone. I'd spend the rest of my life fishing and golfing and going to my daughters' piano and cheer performances and MAYBE get a little job working at Home Depot or something just to pass the time.

If someone paid me $10 dollars to go away, I'm on it......

I think it is similar for CEOs. These individuals are driven to try to be successful at building something.... creating something.... turning around something to make it better.... It is what drives them daily.....and, for a football coach, helping shape young men's lives. I guess I still hold onto that part being true even in the NIL era. I see it in everyday work life for individuals maybe not as successful as a CEO. Someone "retires" from a company/firm, etc. Take a month or two off...they are back at it somewhere else or starting another company. The grind is what drives them.

[Bootsy]

That’s what I’m saying. These coaches are psychopaths, or at least need some serious therapy.
If you just got $10 million dropped in your bank account, who cares about your “rep”?

Would you rather have a coach who's passionate about what he does, who's ultra-competitive, who cares about making your program the absolute best it can be? Or a coach who would prefer to be lounging around and taking vacations but stays on the job so he can keep cashing checks?

You're missing my point, and I'm questioning even arguing this because it's kinda dumb. My point is, there has to be something different (not necessarily wrong; different) in the mind of a high level coach. Coaching, even at the high school level, is extremely stressful, takes time away from family and friends, and adds immense pressure onto the shoulders of the coach. Coaching at the collegiate level is arguably the most stressful level of coaching because you also have to worry about recruiting, fundraising, transfers, NIL, and the general idiocy of college students all on top of trying to win games.
My point is, if you were just handed an amount of money that 90% of the American population will never earn, why would you EVER voluntarily return to that high-stress, high-stakes lifestyle?
Maybe I'm the one who's different and weird and wrong, but if my employer handed me $10 million and said "go away," I'd be GONE gone. I'd spend the rest of my life fishing and golfing and going to my daughters' piano and cheer performances and MAYBE get a little job working at Home Depot or something just to pass the time.

If someone paid me $10 dollars to go away, I'm on it......

I think it is similar for CEOs. These individuals are driven to try to be successful at building something.... creating something.... turning around something to make it better.... It is what drives them daily.....and, for a football coach, helping shape young men's lives. I guess I still hold onto that part being true even in the NIL era. I see it in everyday work life for individuals maybe not as successful as a CEO. Someone "retires" from a company/firm, etc. Take a month or two off...they are back at it somewhere else or starting another company. The grind is what drives them.

A pretty good number of C-Suite dwellers are exactly what you say.
And then there are a lot of them who are sociopaths. I know some of both.

[Bootsy]

If the Tulane job is in play, wouldn’t that be a better get for him than JMU? Just thinking about resources, conference, recruiting, etc.

Nobody would take JMU over Tulane if both were on the table. My guess is Tulane moved on.

Napier never came up at Tulane. They had a list and he wasn't on it. Front Runners are said to be Blake Baker, LSU DC and Tulane grad. Tyson Helton HC at WKU, Shannon Dawson OC at Miami, Charles Huff and a couple of others. Huff is considered a long shot.

Baker is considered the favorite per the local press (today anyway). Baker has already been offered the job at Memphis and would have to take a substantial pay cut to take it so that's unlikely.
If Baker leaves LSU that will leave the Tigers with no DC and will probably lose some defensive staff too. Baker wants to be a head coach at a P4 team. IS his path to that through Tulame or as a DC on a Natty winning LSU? The latter worked for a lot of coaches Smart, Lanning......

This makes a lot of sense. Having had time to think about it, I can also see a variety of reasons why Tulane wouldn't want Napier, one of which is that returning to Louisiana definitely makes him look like a retread. He may have felt the same way.

Fun Fact- Lavender Billy...the name still fits.

[AtlAppMan]

That’s what I’m saying. These coaches are psychopaths, or at least need some serious therapy.
If you just got $10 million dropped in your bank account, who cares about your “rep”?

Would you rather have a coach who's passionate about what he does, who's ultra-competitive, who cares about making your program the absolute best it can be? Or a coach who would prefer to be lounging around and taking vacations but stays on the job so he can keep cashing checks?

You're missing my point, and I'm questioning even arguing this because it's kinda dumb. My point is, there has to be something different (not necessarily wrong; different) in the mind of a high level coach. Coaching, even at the high school level, is extremely stressful, takes time away from family and friends, and adds immense pressure onto the shoulders of the coach. Coaching at the collegiate level is arguably the most stressful level of coaching because you also have to worry about recruiting, fundraising, transfers, NIL, and the general idiocy of college students all on top of trying to win games.
My point is, if you were just handed an amount of money that 90% of the American population will never earn, why would you EVER voluntarily return to that high-stress, high-stakes lifestyle?
Maybe I'm the one who's different and weird and wrong, but if my employer handed me $10 million and said "go away," I'd be GONE gone. I'd spend the rest of my life fishing and golfing and going to my daughters' piano and cheer performances and MAYBE get a little job working at Home Depot or something just to pass the time.

If someone paid me $10 dollars to go away, I'm on it......

I think it is similar for CEOs. These individuals are driven to try to be successful at building something.... creating something.... turning around something to make it better.... It is what drives them daily.....and, for a football coach, helping shape young men's lives. I guess I still hold onto that part being true even in the NIL era. I see it in everyday work life for individuals maybe not as successful as a CEO. Someone "retires" from a company/firm, etc. Take a month or two off...they are back at it somewhere else or starting another company. The grind is what drives them.

You nailed it!!

Some people are just built that way. They want that challenge and stress. That’s what makes them who they are AND likely why they achieved the level in their profession. Despite what some people think the top earners didn’t get there by sitting on the porch taking it easy. Albeit a small number may have gotten there by screwing people over. Most did it by hard work and superior performance.

If you aren’t built that way you may not understand why they would do it.

[bcoach]

The coaches he worked with and the experiences he had at Florida should make Napier a better coach.

Not being a smart alleck here, but we shouldn't we think the same with Coach DL too?

One has actually been a head coach and the other has not. The one we have is a part time head coach and a part time OC.

[MrCraig]

Would you rather have a coach who's passionate about what he does, who's ultra-competitive, who cares about making your program the absolute best it can be? Or a coach who would prefer to be lounging around and taking vacations but stays on the job so he can keep cashing checks?

You're missing my point, and I'm questioning even arguing this because it's kinda dumb. My point is, there has to be something different (not necessarily wrong; different) in the mind of a high level coach. Coaching, even at the high school level, is extremely stressful, takes time away from family and friends, and adds immense pressure onto the shoulders of the coach. Coaching at the collegiate level is arguably the most stressful level of coaching because you also have to worry about recruiting, fundraising, transfers, NIL, and the general idiocy of college students all on top of trying to win games.
My point is, if you were just handed an amount of money that 90% of the American population will never earn, why would you EVER voluntarily return to that high-stress, high-stakes lifestyle?
Maybe I'm the one who's different and weird and wrong, but if my employer handed me $10 million and said "go away," I'd be GONE gone. I'd spend the rest of my life fishing and golfing and going to my daughters' piano and cheer performances and MAYBE get a little job working at Home Depot or something just to pass the time.

If someone paid me $10 dollars to go away, I'm on it......

I think it is similar for CEOs. These individuals are driven to try to be successful at building something.... creating something.... turning around something to make it better.... It is what drives them daily.....and, for a football coach, helping shape young men's lives. I guess I still hold onto that part being true even in the NIL era. I see it in everyday work life for individuals maybe not as successful as a CEO. Someone "retires" from a company/firm, etc. Take a month or two off...they are back at it somewhere else or starting another company. The grind is what drives them.

You nailed it!!

Some people are just built that way. They want that challenge and stress. That’s what makes them who they are AND likely why they achieved the level in their profession. Despite what some people think the top earners didn’t get there by sitting on the porch taking it easy. Albeit a small number may have gotten there by screwing people over. Most did it by hard work and superior performance.

If you aren’t built that way you may not understand why they would do it.

You're last sentence nails it. I do not get it. I can't understand how any of that stress and/or success can replace a relaxing day on the water or time with family. But these same folks probably think I'm crazy too. So, to each his own.

[EastHallApp]

Proof these dudes are just... different. Florida has paid him $10 million of his $21 million buyout, then he's going to get $2.75 million for the next four years. Why, in the name of all that is good, would you go back into coaching immediately?!?!?! Go home! Travel! Play golf! Learn French! Why would you force yourself into the churn of recruiting and scheming and shaking hands with boosters and worrying about the portal and NIL???

Because he is a coach and that is what they do. If you are trying to improve your rep why not JMU. Best team in the Sunbelt, most money in the belt or darn close to it. Great AD, and a strong fanbase. If offered my bet is he would take it. It would put him back in the P4 in 2 to 3 years.

That’s what I’m saying. These coaches are psychopaths, or at least need some serious therapy.
If you just got $10 million dropped in your bank account, who cares about your “rep”?

Would you rather have a coach who's passionate about what he does, who's ultra-competitive, who cares about making your program the absolute best it can be? Or a coach who would prefer to be lounging around and taking vacations but stays on the job so he can keep cashing checks?

You're missing my point, and I'm questioning even arguing this because it's kinda dumb. My point is, there has to be something different (not necessarily wrong; different) in the mind of a high level coach. Coaching, even at the high school level, is extremely stressful, takes time away from family and friends, and adds immense pressure onto the shoulders of the coach. Coaching at the collegiate level is arguably the most stressful level of coaching because you also have to worry about recruiting, fundraising, transfers, NIL, and the general idiocy of college students all on top of trying to win games.
My point is, if you were just handed an amount of money that 90% of the American population will never earn, why would you EVER voluntarily return to that high-stress, high-stakes lifestyle?
Maybe I'm the one who's different and weird and wrong, but if my employer handed me $10 million and said "go away," I'd be GONE gone. I'd spend the rest of my life fishing and golfing and going to my daughters' piano and cheer performances and MAYBE get a little job working at Home Depot or something just to pass the time.

I got you - I actually agree with much of what you're saying. If my company paid me $10 million to go away, I would 100% not be looking for a similar job elsewhere. Though I do think I'd try to find a way to use that wealth to do something that's more productive and interesting to me.

I think the difference is in how much you are invested in your work. Being a coach and competing is what these guys like doing. It's a huge part of their identity. To paraphrase Capt. Pete Mitchell from Top Gun Maverick: "Being a football coach isn't what I do; it's who I am."

[rbarthle17]

Put me on the side the thinks the people laughing at JMU for this hire are going to be the ones puking up all the crow they will be eating. Not everyone is cut out for being a major college coach, but there are plenty of examples of those same coaches doing well at lower levels. Florida has not been a shining beacon of college football for a long time, it's living on reputation that hasn't been lived up to for decades now. Napier has proven he can coach at this level in the past, and he is absolutely going into one of, if not the best situation he could to have that kind of success again.

[AppDub]

The coaches he worked with and the experiences he had at Florida should make Napier a better coach.

Not being a smart alleck here, but we shouldn't we think the same with Coach DL too?

One has actually been a head coach and the other has not. The one we have is a part time head coach and a part time OC.

Understood, but using the same logic of he has gotten better because of the coaches he is around, same could prove to be true with DL. He's been around plenty of knowledge too. Not ready to write him off after one rushed portal and rebuild season. Now should he hire an OC? I think so. But some already say he isn't the answer. Too soon to tell.

[bcoach]

The coaches he worked with and the experiences he had at Florida should make Napier a better coach.

Not being a smart alleck here, but we shouldn't we think the same with Coach DL too?

One has actually been a head coach and the other has not. The one we have is a part time head coach and a part time OC.

Understood, but using the same logic of he has gotten better because of the coaches he is around, same could prove to be true with DL. He's been around plenty of knowledge too. Not ready to write him off after one rushed portal and rebuild season. Now should he hire an OC? I think so. But some already say he isn't the answer. Too soon to tell.

Let me start with I want him to be better because if he fails we fail. With that said I am not sure what he has learned. Has he watched what his bosses have to do to be head coaches? If so how did he think he would learn to be a good one while still holding down the OC job. Did he not learn HC is a full time job? Is he a micromanager? Not a good trait for a HC in training. Were some of the boneheaded calls because he was not full time OC? I hope I am 100% wrong and he can be both but I don't think I am. Not a good start. I actually think he will be forced to hire an experienced OC, but will he leave him alone to do his job? The man just leaves me with a lot of questions. Now with ALL of that said I am 100% sure it does not matter what I think.(:

[appstate24]

Put me on the side the thinks the people laughing at JMU for this hire are going to be the ones puking up all the crow they will be eating. Not everyone is cut out for being a major college coach, but there are plenty of examples of those same coaches doing well at lower levels. Florida has not been a shining beacon of college football for a long time, it's living on reputation that hasn't been lived up to for decades now. Napier has proven he can coach at this level in the past, and he is absolutely going into one of, if not the best situation he could to have that kind of success again.

Agreed. Billy is a good coach. He’s a competitor, and will have a chip on his shoulder. This is a good hire for the Pukes.

[EastHallApp]

Put me on the side the thinks the people laughing at JMU for this hire are going to be the ones puking up all the crow they will be eating. Not everyone is cut out for being a major college coach, but there are plenty of examples of those same coaches doing well at lower levels. Florida has not been a shining beacon of college football for a long time, it's living on reputation that hasn't been lived up to for decades now. Napier has proven he can coach at this level in the past, and he is absolutely going into one of, if not the best situation he could to have that kind of success again.

Good point about Florida. It's quietly become a bit of a coaching graveyard since Spurrier left, with only Urban Meyer really winning big since then.

[wb247]

The coaches he worked with and the experiences he had at Florida should make Napier a better coach.

Not being a smart alleck here, but we shouldn't we think the same with Coach DL too?

Hopefully he spent his first year unlearning everything he picked up from Adam Gase about head coaching.