Look: Florida’s new head coach Billy Napier lands in Gainesville

A new era in Florida football officially began when the Gators’ new head coach Billy Napier landed at Gainesville Regional Airport at around 11:48 a.m. on Sunday.

He was greeted on the runway by Florida Athletic Director Scott Stricklin, the Gator Band, and others.

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier arrives in Gainesville. Photo: Billy Napier; Photo credit: Alex Shepherd

Napier greets Albert and Alberta on the runway at Gainesville Regional Airport. Photo: Billy Napier; Photo credit: Zach Goodall

Billy Napier’s first slut to head the Gators. Photo: Billy Napier; Photo credit: Zach Goodall

Photo: Billy Napier; Photo credit: Zach Goodall

Photo: Billy Napier; Photo credit: Zach Goodall

Napier smiles as Gator fans greet him outside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Photo: Billy Napier; Photo credit: Zach Goodall

During his four years at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Napier held a 40-12 record, was twice named Sun Belt Coach of the Year, and took first place in the conference’s West Division each year.

He led the program to their very first Sun Belt Conference Championship on Saturday and went out in style with a 24-16 win over Appalachian State.

Now he’s paying his full attention to the Florida program as he prepares for a challenging ride as the man behind the wheel of the Gators.

This morning, Napier’s Twitter page received an orange and blue makeover, followed by a quote from former Stanford head coach Bill Walsh about the importance of culture and its importance in building a thriving program.

“Culture precedes positive outcomes,” he said. “Champions act like champions before they are champions; They have a winning standard of performance before they become winners. ”

Florida was ready to sign up to Napier for the long term in hopes he can bring the UF program back to national notoriety after a disappointing 6-6 season.

Napier and the Gators signed a seven-year contract for $ 51.8 million, making it the SEC’s fifth-highest-paid head coach. His salary will start at $ 7.1 million for the first year and he will receive a raise of $ 100,000 for each year of contract.

Napier’s introductory press conference, at which he is officially considered Florida’s next head coach, is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

Stay tuned to AllGators for ongoing coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow social media at @SI_AllGators on Twitter and Florida Gators on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.

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