Billy Napier gives Tennessee fans bulletin board material

Jul 20, 2022; Atlanta, GA, USA; Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier talks from the stage during SEC Media Days at the College Football Hall of Fame. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Florida coach Billy Napier is prepping for his first SEC away game with his new team, and he may have given the Tennessee Volunteers some bulletin board material.

Napier dismissed concerns about quarterback Anthony Richardson’s readiness for the Gators’ upcoming game at Tennessee, but did so in a way that will fire up Vols fans.

Richardson is a sophomore and has only seen significant action in one previous career SEC road game (last year at LSU). So Napier was asked how Richardson would handle the environment at Neyland Stadium, where Vols fans will be rowdy.

Napier said the only real difference for Richardson would be that things will be “a little louder” when the Florida offense is on the field.

Florida coach Billy Napier on QB Anthony Richardson’s 1st SEC road start at Tennessee: “It's not like we're going to Canada & they're going to change the rules. It's going to be the same game. It's going to be a little louder & played at a different location”

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) September 19, 2022

Tennessee fans will inevitably see this as Napier dismissing their ability to throw a visiting team off its game. That might not be a good idea on his part, and you don’t need to go far back to remember why.

The Gators take a 2-1 record into Neyland Stadium, but they narrowly escaped in both of their victories and could easily be 0-3. Napier may be in for a rude awakening if the Vols and their fans have anything to say about things.