Completed Event: Baseball at Old Dominion on May 15, 2026 , Loss , 0, to, 10 , (8 innings)
BASE
Final
James Madison
0
at Old Dominion
(8 innings)
10
James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
Staff Directory
Billy Napier
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Phone:
- 540-568-6517
Billy Napier was hired as James Madison University's 10th head coach in the history of the JMU football program on December 6, 2025, being awarded a five-year contract to lead the Dukes.
Napier boasts a 62-35 career record as a head coach and most recently led Florida of the Southeastern Conference for the last four years (2022-25).
His time in Gainesville was highlighted by an 8-5 record in 2024 and a win in the Gasparilla Bowl over Tulane. That Gator team won its last four games, including back-to-back top-25 triumphs over No. 22 LSU and No. 9 Ole Miss, followed by topping Florida State on the road and the bowl win. UF was one of just six unranked teams in the country to post multiple top-25 wins on the year.
The 2024 squad finished in the top-25 in 10 NCAA statistical categories, including ninth in red zone defense (.725), ninth in passing yards per completion (14.11), 11th in team sacks (3.00) and 13th in turnovers gained. He coached offensive lineman Jake Slaughter to First Team All-America honors while quarterback DJ Lagway was named a Freshman All-American. Rocco Underwood won the Mannelly Award for best long snapper in the nation while earning Second Team All-America accolades.
Napier’s other ranked wins during his Florida tenure included 2025 over No. 9 Texas, 2023 over No. 11 Tennessee and 2022 in his debut over No. 7 Utah.
During his first season in 2022, the Gators ranked tied for eighth nationally in turnover margin (+8), producing 22 turnovers and holding a 70-42 margin in points off turnovers. UF’s offense was the third-most productive one in America with an SEC-leading 5.84 yards per carry. The Gators averaged 213.7 rushing yards, which was 16th in the FBS. They were also 16th in fewest sacks allowed, at 13. The offensive line was anchored by Consensus All-American O’Cyrus Torrence.
Napier also developed Anthony Richardson into one of the hottest quarterbacks in college football, ultimately being the fourth overall pick by Indianapolis in the 2023 NFL Draft. Richardson was fifth in the FBS by quarterbacks in yards per rush (6.3) and the only signal caller with two 400-yard games and two 100-yard rushing games in 2022.
Prior to Florida, Napier authored a dominant run at Louisiana (2018-21), going 40-12 in four seasons with four appearances in the Sun Belt Conference Championship game as West Division Champions and two league titles in his last two seasons in 2020 and 2021.
In his first season as a college head coach in 2018, the Ragin' Cajuns went 7-7 overall but won the Sun Belt West at 5-3 with a tie for first. But Louisiana improved in each of Napier's seasons, including 11-3 (7-1 SBC) in 2019, 10-1 (7-1 SBC) and a league title in 2020 and 12-1 (8-0) and a title in 2021.
The 2019 and 2020 squads won appearances over Miami (Ohio) in the LendingTree Bowl and over UTSA in the First Responder Bowl, respectively. The 2021 team went on to defeat Marshall in the New Orleans Bowl following Napier's departure for Florida. The Ragin' Cajuns were ranked as high as 15th in the AP Poll in 2020 and 16th in 2021.
Widely touted for his recruiting and player development, each of Napier's recruiting classes at Florida were ranked top 20 in the nation. Meanwhile, he had 21 NFL Draft selections in four years of drafts at Florida and another seven picks in four years at Louisiana. In each of his last two seasons, seven Gators were taken in both the 2025 and 2026 NFL Drafts. That includes first-round selections in Caleb Banks (2026), Ricky Pearsall (2024) and Richardson (2023).
He coached an additional 20 NFL Draft picks as an offensive position coach across four FBS assistant jobs. That group featured five first-round selections, consisting of four wide receivers and a running back.
Fifteen years of experience as an assistant coach helped prepare Napier for his head coaching roles, with 14 coming at the FBS level and all 15 on the offensive side. He spent two years as a GA at Clemson before then returning to Tommy Bowden's staff in roles as tight ends and recruiting coordinator coach, then quarterbacks and offensive coordinator when Dabo Swinney took the helm.
In 2011, Napier joined Nick Saban's staff at Alabama as an offensive analyst, then followed Jim McElwain from Alabama to Colorado State to serve a season as assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach. He returned to Alabama as wide receiver coach for four seasons (2013-2016) and then spent one year as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Arizona State in 2017 prior to earning the Louisiana job.
Napier was a four-year contributor at Furman (FCS/then I-AA) and was a two-time All-Conference quarterback in the Southern Conference. He led the Paladins to two conference championships and, in 2001, led Furman to a national runner-up finish in I-AA. He set a Furman career record by completing 64.8% of his passes. As the team captain during a record-setting senior season, Napier compiled a Furman-record 2,475 passing yards and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award as the nation's most outstanding offensive player.
Napier grew up in Chatsworth, Ga., and graduated from Murray County High School in 1998. He is married to the former Ali Gunn, and the couple has a daughter, Annie, and sons, Sammy and Charlie. He earned his bachelor's degree in health & exercise science from Furman in 2002.
Napier boasts a 62-35 career record as a head coach and most recently led Florida of the Southeastern Conference for the last four years (2022-25).
His time in Gainesville was highlighted by an 8-5 record in 2024 and a win in the Gasparilla Bowl over Tulane. That Gator team won its last four games, including back-to-back top-25 triumphs over No. 22 LSU and No. 9 Ole Miss, followed by topping Florida State on the road and the bowl win. UF was one of just six unranked teams in the country to post multiple top-25 wins on the year.
The 2024 squad finished in the top-25 in 10 NCAA statistical categories, including ninth in red zone defense (.725), ninth in passing yards per completion (14.11), 11th in team sacks (3.00) and 13th in turnovers gained. He coached offensive lineman Jake Slaughter to First Team All-America honors while quarterback DJ Lagway was named a Freshman All-American. Rocco Underwood won the Mannelly Award for best long snapper in the nation while earning Second Team All-America accolades.
Napier’s other ranked wins during his Florida tenure included 2025 over No. 9 Texas, 2023 over No. 11 Tennessee and 2022 in his debut over No. 7 Utah.
During his first season in 2022, the Gators ranked tied for eighth nationally in turnover margin (+8), producing 22 turnovers and holding a 70-42 margin in points off turnovers. UF’s offense was the third-most productive one in America with an SEC-leading 5.84 yards per carry. The Gators averaged 213.7 rushing yards, which was 16th in the FBS. They were also 16th in fewest sacks allowed, at 13. The offensive line was anchored by Consensus All-American O’Cyrus Torrence.
Napier also developed Anthony Richardson into one of the hottest quarterbacks in college football, ultimately being the fourth overall pick by Indianapolis in the 2023 NFL Draft. Richardson was fifth in the FBS by quarterbacks in yards per rush (6.3) and the only signal caller with two 400-yard games and two 100-yard rushing games in 2022.
Prior to Florida, Napier authored a dominant run at Louisiana (2018-21), going 40-12 in four seasons with four appearances in the Sun Belt Conference Championship game as West Division Champions and two league titles in his last two seasons in 2020 and 2021.
In his first season as a college head coach in 2018, the Ragin' Cajuns went 7-7 overall but won the Sun Belt West at 5-3 with a tie for first. But Louisiana improved in each of Napier's seasons, including 11-3 (7-1 SBC) in 2019, 10-1 (7-1 SBC) and a league title in 2020 and 12-1 (8-0) and a title in 2021.
The 2019 and 2020 squads won appearances over Miami (Ohio) in the LendingTree Bowl and over UTSA in the First Responder Bowl, respectively. The 2021 team went on to defeat Marshall in the New Orleans Bowl following Napier's departure for Florida. The Ragin' Cajuns were ranked as high as 15th in the AP Poll in 2020 and 16th in 2021.
Widely touted for his recruiting and player development, each of Napier's recruiting classes at Florida were ranked top 20 in the nation. Meanwhile, he had 21 NFL Draft selections in four years of drafts at Florida and another seven picks in four years at Louisiana. In each of his last two seasons, seven Gators were taken in both the 2025 and 2026 NFL Drafts. That includes first-round selections in Caleb Banks (2026), Ricky Pearsall (2024) and Richardson (2023).
He coached an additional 20 NFL Draft picks as an offensive position coach across four FBS assistant jobs. That group featured five first-round selections, consisting of four wide receivers and a running back.
Fifteen years of experience as an assistant coach helped prepare Napier for his head coaching roles, with 14 coming at the FBS level and all 15 on the offensive side. He spent two years as a GA at Clemson before then returning to Tommy Bowden's staff in roles as tight ends and recruiting coordinator coach, then quarterbacks and offensive coordinator when Dabo Swinney took the helm.
In 2011, Napier joined Nick Saban's staff at Alabama as an offensive analyst, then followed Jim McElwain from Alabama to Colorado State to serve a season as assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach. He returned to Alabama as wide receiver coach for four seasons (2013-2016) and then spent one year as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Arizona State in 2017 prior to earning the Louisiana job.
Napier was a four-year contributor at Furman (FCS/then I-AA) and was a two-time All-Conference quarterback in the Southern Conference. He led the Paladins to two conference championships and, in 2001, led Furman to a national runner-up finish in I-AA. He set a Furman career record by completing 64.8% of his passes. As the team captain during a record-setting senior season, Napier compiled a Furman-record 2,475 passing yards and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award as the nation's most outstanding offensive player.
Napier grew up in Chatsworth, Ga., and graduated from Murray County High School in 1998. He is married to the former Ali Gunn, and the couple has a daughter, Annie, and sons, Sammy and Charlie. He earned his bachelor's degree in health & exercise science from Furman in 2002.
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