Billy Napier compares NIL impact on transfer portal to NFL free agency

As NIL and the transfer portal take over college athletics, people around college football are comparing it with NFL free agency. One SEC coach shared a unique approach to navigating the terrain.

Billy Napier, who’s gearing up for his first season at Florida, said he’s reading up on the NFL’s free agency model to understand the current landscape. Although there are some differences between what’s happening in college and in the NFL, he said there are enough similarities to use it as a tool to gain an edge on the current situation.

“I think we’re finding ourselves much like an NFL team during free agency,” Napier said. “There’s a lot of scenarios here that are very comparable. To be honest with you, there’s no manual for this in college football. I’ve been studying the National Football League because I think there are some things to learn. Every player on our team that hasn’t transferred before is a free agent every year, truth be known.

“That’s the one thing that we lack that the National Football League has. There is free agency, but there is no salary cap and there is no contractual obligation. There are a lot of things we can learn from the NFL, but there are a lot of things that don’t apply, as well.”

Billy Napier on NIL bidding wars: ‘We don’t operate that way’

One of the big worries in college football is the emergence of NIL bidding wars in recruiting. There’s already been one SEC feud about it, but Napier also weighed in about how his program operates.

He addressed the current NIL landscape in the wake of the Jimbo Fisher-Nick Saban spat about NIL’s role in recruiting. The new Gators headman understands things are crazy at the moment, and bidding wars are a topic of conversation as NIL collectives come to the forefront.

“I think there is some of that, but we don’t operate that way,” Napier said.

However, Napier noted coaches need to look at the big picture when talking about NIL. He argued no two situations are identical, which is why they need to be studied one at a time.

“I think that NIL is a portion of the decision, right?” Napier said. “I think a lot of times when you really did into why is the player leaving where he’s at, there are other factors. All these situations are case by case. You’ve got to evaluate each situation independent of all the others.”