GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Former Furman standout quarterback Billy Napier on Sunday was named the new head coach of the University of Florida Gators.

Napier, a 2002 Furman graduate with a degree in health & exercise science, is the 28th head coach in Florida history and third former Paladin player to earn a head coaching position at a school currently classified as a member of a Power Five conference, joining Sam Wyche '66 (Indiana, 1983) and Robbie Caldwell '77 (Vanderbilt, 2010).

Former Furman head coaches Dick Sheridan (1978-85) and Bobby Johnson (1994-01) went on to serve as mentors at N.C. State (1986-92) and Vanderbilt (2002-09), respectively.

"We could not be more proud of Billy Napier and all that he has already accomplished in his career, and the tremendous opportunity he has earned as the new head coach at the University of Florida," said Furman head coach Clay Hendrix, whose earlier Paladin assistant coaching tenure paralleled Napier's playing career.

A native of Chatsworth, Ga., where he played football for his father, Bill Napier, at Murray County High School, Napier earned All-North Georgia honors prior to signing with Furman in 1998.

Redshirted his first season as a Paladin, he served as a backup in 1999, scoring the first touchdown of his collegiate career on a 15-yard option keeper in a 52-6 road win over William & Mary, for which he was named Southern Conference Freshman of the Week.  He threw his first touchdown pass, covering 39 yards, in a 48-21 triumph over East Tennessee State.

Following a 2000 campaign that saw him pass for 353 yards, primarily in a backup role, Napier took over starting signal calling duties in 2001, passing for 1,772 yards and 10 touchdowns while rushing for three scores in helping Furman to a 12-3 record, SoCon championship, and national runner-up finish.  Among Napier's highlights that season was a 12-for-12, 159-yard, touchdown performance that keyed Furman to a 24-17 triumph over Georgia Southern in NCAA I-AA semifinal playoff action in Statesboro.  That victory snapped the Eagles' 39-game home winning streak and marked Georgia Southern's first home playoff defeat in program history (28 games).

Elected as a team captain his senior year, Napier helped engineer the Paladins to an 8-4 record in 2002 and the program's fourth consecutive NCAA FCS playoff appearance, passing for 2,475 yards and 16 touchdowns while also rushing for six scores.  Included in the campaign was an school record breaking single game passing efficiency performance that saw him complete 8-of-10 passes for 237 yards and four touchdowns in a 57-7 rout of Elon.

Later that year, in a driving rain, mud bowl game versus Wofford in Spartanburg, Napier engineered an 11-play, 74-yard drive by completing all five pass attempts for 63 yards, including a game winning seven-yard strike with 29 seconds remaining, to beat the Terriers, 23-21, and secure an at-large bid for the Paladins to the FCS playoffs.

Over the course of Napier's four-year playing career Furman posted a 38-13 overall record, 26-6 SoCon mark, two conference championships (1999 & '01), and four trips to the FCS playoffs, highlighted by the 2001 national runner-up finish. Beginning five weeks into 1999 season, the Paladins achieved FCS Top 25 rankings spanning 57 consecutive weeks during his tenure. 

A two-time All-SoCon selection, Napier is a fixture in Furman's record book, owning or sharing three single game and career standards and ranking among program leaders in a number of categories:

Billy Napier Furman Statistical Rankings
Pass Attempts, Game: T7th/41 vs. Villanova, 2002
Pass Attempts, Season: 6th/276, 2002
Pass Attempts, Career: 549/8th, 1999-02
Pass Completions, Season: 6th/189, 2002
Pass Completions, Career: 356/5th, 1999-02
Passing Yards, Game: 17th/310 vs. Villanova, 2002
Passing Yards, Season: 4th/2,475, 2002
Passing Yards, Career: 7th/4,756, 1999-02
Completion Percentage, Game (shared): 1.000 (12x12)/1st vs. Georgia Southern (2G), 2001
Completion Percentage, Season: 2nd/68.5, 2002
Completion Percentage, Career: 1st/.645 (356x552), 1999-02
Passing Efficiency Rating, Game: 1st/411.08 (8x10, 237 yds., 4 TDs) vs. Elon, 2002
Passing Efficiency Rating, Season: 9th/157.14, 2002
Passing Efficiency Rating, Career: 4th/147.15, 1999-02
Passing Touchdowns, Season: 16/T9th, 2002
Passing Touchdowns, Career: 28/8th, 1999-02
Total Offense Attempts, Game: 55 (14 rush, 41 pass)/T4th vs. Villanova, 2002
Total Offense Attempts, Season: 355 (79 rush, 276 pass)/6th, 2002
Total Offense Yards, Season: 2,502 (27 rush, 2,475 pass)/7th, 2002
Total Offense Yards, Career: 4,932 (176 rush, 4,756 pass)/9th, 1999-02
Touchdown Responsibilities, Season: 22 (6 rush, 16 pass)/7th, 2002
Touchdown Responsibilities, Career: 39 (11 rush, 28 pass)16th, 1999-02

Note: Furman record holder in bold italics