Billy Napier left the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns five years ago, fresh off of a Sun Belt Conference Championship win. Plenty has changed since then.
He took the Florida job and struggled in his tenure. After four seasons and a 22-23 overall record, he was let go and the Gators hired Jon Sumrall. The 22-23 record he had at UF was a far cry from the 40-12 mark he achieved in four seasons with the Cajuns.
Despite a failed attempt in the SEC, Napier was not without a job for long. He took the job vacated by Bob Chesney at James Madison University. The Dukes are fresh off of a berth in the College Football Playoff after a 12-1 season and a Sun Belt Championship victory.
Napier had unrivaled success in the Sun Belt West while at Louisiana, winning division titles in each of his four seasons. Additionally, he won a share of the title in 2020 and the outright SBC Championship in 2021. However, much has changed in the league since then.
What has changed the most?
“Roster retention,” Napier said.
Teams in the SBC deal with roster poaching more than ever, and it has increased significantly in just five years since he was last in this conference.
“It’s a reality that your better players are going to have the chance to move up,” Napier admitted during his podium time at Sun Belt Conference Media Days.
Still, the former Cajuns’ coach is confident in his ability to keep the Dukes at the top. That exact concept is one of the clear differentiators from his first stint in the Sun Belt. The Ragin’ Cajuns program had fallen a bit, and was coming off of a losing season when he took over. The Dukes just had arguably the best season in their program’s history, and certainly the best ever FBS season. They became the first ever SBC team to make the playoffs.
As a result, Napier acknowledged that some things likely don’t need to change at JMU. When asked for some examples, he had a couple specifics.
“Coach Chesney’s programs were built around competition,” Napier said. He intends to keep that in place, allowing players to better themselves by competing on and off the field.
The second point may be a rather surprising one: morning practices.
Napier described his conversations with players and staff that were around last year, and they all seemed to agree practicing in the morning was more effective for them. So, he has decided to keep that practice time in place.
There were naturally going to be a few “Napier-isms” returning to the Sun Belt. He said one today that feels pretty tied into this topic.
“Success leaves behind clues,” Napier said when referencing what JMU has been successful with. Clearly, the Dukes will be looking to keep the edge they have had in recent years in the SBC.
Still, plenty has to change. JMU lost a ton of talent to the transfer portal, including starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III. Chesney and company took plenty of the roster out west to UCLA, and Napier’s new staff was tasked with replacing a big chunk of the roster.
Still, the ball coach is confident.
“If James Madison was a stock, I’d be buying it,” Napier said with a smile.
We’ll see if he can find those big returns for a second time in the Sun Belt Conference.