Billy Napier, who spent the past five seasons as the wide receivers coach at the University of Alabama and is widely respected in the coaching profession as one of the most talented recruiters in college football, has been named as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Arizona State University, Head Coach Todd Graham announced January 31, 2017. Napier also has served as the assistant head coach/quarterbacks coach at Colorado State (2012) and was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Clemson (2009-10).
Recently-hired assistant head coach/offensive line/run game coordinator Josh Henson will serve as co-offensive coordinator, with Napier being the lead coordinator. Henson formerly was the offensive coordinator at Missouri where the Tigers won back-to-back SEC East titles in 2013 and 2014.
Napier served an integral role in achieving National Championships in 2011 and 2015 as part of the Alabama coaching staff and also coached in the 2016 National Championship game. He was instrumental in helping Nick Saban and Alabama achieve a 63-7 record in five seasons at Alabama (2011, 2013-2016) and was part of the great run of 26 consecutive wins from 2015-2016. In 70 games at Alabama, the Crimson Tide offense averaged 6.27 yards per play and 36.4 points per game. Under Dabo Swinney, he aided Clemson as the youngest offensive coordinator in the country to an ACC Atlantic Division title. The 2009 Clemson offense set an all-time school record for most points in a season.
Known as one of the nation's most effective recruiters, Napier led Clemson to the No. 2 overall recruiting class in the nation in 2008.
"Coach Napier will be joining the Sun Devil family as lead offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach," said Graham. "He will join newly hired Josh Henson as co-offensive coordinator. Billy will be a tremendous fit for our football program. I spoke to (current Florida head coach) Jim McElwain, Dabo Swinney and (former Clemson head coach) Tommy Bowden and each spoke highly of Billy's talents. In addition to being an exceptional offensive mind, Billy is widely recognized as one of the nation's finest recruiters. We've truly added some fine recruiters to our staff in the past month."
"I will forever cherish the five seasons I was a part of at the University of Alabama," says Napier. "Words cannot truly describe my gratefulness for Coach Saban, our players, everyone in the organization and in the university community. I'm extremely excited and thankful about this opportunity with Coach Graham. I'm excited about the journey and leadership challenge in the Pac-12 Conference at Arizona State University. We will work tirelessly and we will be relentless in our approach in guiding this football program. Forks Up!"
"I am very happy for Billy," says Swinney. "He will be a great fit at Arizona State. Billy was the youngest offensive coordinator in the country when he had that position here in 2009. We won our first Atlantic Division title that year and set records for offensive production. What we accomplished this year got its start with that team in 2009 and I am indebted to Billy for the work he put in for our program. Billy has always been a terrific recruiter and a tireless worker. He grew up around the game. He was our recruiting coordinator when I became head coach and many of the players we brought in during that time set a standard for this program. He has gained valuable experience at Alabama and I know he is ready for this opportunity."
"This is a great hire for Arizona State," says Tommy Bowden. "I hired Billy as a graduate assistant and when I got the chance to hire him again I brought him right back. He played quarterback so he got to know everything about the position. He's just got that mentality. His dad was a football coach so he grew up around the game. As a recruiter he doesn't let go. He's got all of the intangibles. He's a marketable guy and it doesn't surprise me that he's advanced through this profession."
"Josh Henson has so many great qualities," says former Missouri Head Coach Gary Pinkel. "He loves football, he loves to coach and he loves working with the players. On top of that he's a great recruiter. He can talk football all hours of the day and wake up and do it again the next day. He's very creative and he'll do a tremendous job for Arizona State."
Napier began his fifth season on the Alabama coaching staff as wide receivers coach in 2016. Napier joined the Crimson Tide after serving as the assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach at Colorado State in 2012 for former Tide offensive coordinator Jim McElwain. Napier was an offensive analyst for the Crimson Tide in 2011.
In 2016, Napier's wide receiver corps were led by junior ArDarius Stewart and sophomore Calvin Ridley. Ridley led the way with 72 receptions while Stewart had a team high 864 yards. Ridley added 769 yards and seven scores while Stewart caught 54 passes with eight scores. Graduate transfer Gehrig Dieter caught 15 passes for 214 yards and four scores while Cam Sims also hauled in 14 receptions for 152 yards.
Napier had to replace Amari Cooper in 2015 after the Tide's career receptions leader was taken No. 4 overall in the NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. Stewart, senior transfer Richard Mullaney and Ridley emerged as the Tide's go-to receivers after Robert Foster was lost in the third game to injury. Ridley led the team with a freshman-record 89 catches for 1,045 yards and seven touchdowns. Stewart added 63 catches for 700 yards and four touchdowns, while Mullaney had 38 catches for 390 yards and five scores.
Napier's 2014 unit was led by Alabama's first Biletnikoff Award winner in Cooper, who caught a school- and SEC-record 124 passes for a UA-record 1,727 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns. Cooper led the country in receptions (124), was second nationally in receiving yards (1,727), receiving touchdowns (16) and catches per game (8.9) while ranking third in yards per game (123.4). A Heisman Trophy finalist and unanimous first team All-American, Cooper smashed all of the Tide's career receiving marks with 228 receptions, 3,463 yards and tied the SEC record with 31 receiving touchdowns. Senior DeAndrew White provided Alabama with a dangerous and reliable target opposite Cooper with 40 receptions for 504 yards and four scores.
In his first season as the Crimson Tide's receivers coach in 2013, Napier built a deep and talented group of wide outs. Alabama had four players with at least 32 receptions, led by Cooper's 45 catches for 736 yards. The wide receivers accounted for 72.1 percent of the passes caught in 2013 and 20 of the 30 passing touchdowns.
Kevin Norwood produced a career year with seven touchdowns and 568 receiving yards on 38 grabs. Jones also caught 36 balls for 349 yards and White hauled in 32 catches for 534 yards and four scores.
Injuries forced Napier to go deep down the bench looking for quarterbacks during his one season in Fort Collins. The Rams saw three quarterbacks play significant snaps as the starter with Garrett Grayson going down early in the season and M.J. McPeek following two weeks later, forcing redshirt freshman Conner Smith into action. The trio combined to throw for 2,520 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2012 as Colorado State won three of its final five games.
Napier spent the 2011 season on the Alabama staff as an offensive analyst, helping the Crimson Tide win the 2011 BCS national championship. The Tide ranked 16th in scoring offense, 30th in total offense and 17th in rushing offense in 2011.
Prior to Alabama, Napier spent seven of the previous eight years in two different stints at Clemson. During Napier's final two seasons at Clemson he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. At the age of 29, he became the youngest coordinator in the nation and in Clemson history. In his first season as Clemson's coordinator, the 2009 Tigers scored a school-record 436 points and collected 54 touchdowns (third-most in school history), averaged 5.73 yards per play (fourth best) and finished as the ACC Atlantic Division champions. Quarterback Kyle Parker was named a Freshman All-American and nine players Napier coached from 2009-10 went on to have careers in the NFL.
Napier also served as Clemson's recruiting coordinator from 2006-08. In those three seasons, he compiled two top-25 recruiting classes, according to Rivals.com, and in 2008, his class was tabbed as the second-best in the nation by ESPN.com. Known to his peers as a top recruiter, Napier signed several players who went on to the NFL, including Kavell Conner, Crezdon Butler, Brandon Thompson and Marcus Gilchrist.
Napier was the 2007-08 tight ends coach at Clemson, helping lead the Tigers to two bowl games and a prolific offense. The 2007 season featured a 9-4 record and the ACC's highest-scoring offense. In his first year back with Clemson (2006), Napier worked primarily with the Tigers' tight ends but also was responsible for the punt team and assisted in several special-teams capacities. The 2006 Tigers led the ACC in total offense, rushing and scoring offense, advancing to the Music City Bowl.
Clemson averaged 410.9 yards per game and 32.7 points, more than doubling its opponent's totals. Tight end Hunter Thomas started all 11 games for the Tigers, averaging 19.1 yards per reception. Michael Palmer, who Napier coached for three seasons, went on to the NFL. He also worked with the special teams units, helping develop one of the most talented players in Clemson history, C.J. Spiller.
In 2005, Napier spent one season as the quarterbacks coach and play caller at South Carolina State. The Bulldogs finished the year 9-2 and ranked among the nation's best in several offensive categories, including: rushing (12th), passing efficiency (15th) and scoring offense (17th). S.C. State also had the country's fourth-best turnover margin, committing only 11 turnovers, roughly one-third of the total from the previous season (32). Napier developed Cleve McCoy and molded him into the MEAC Player of the Year. He also recruited offensive tackle Johnny Culbreath, who became a unanimous All-America selection and was drafted by the Detroit Lions.
Napier began his coaching career as an offensive graduate assistant at Clemson in 2003-04. The Tigers won nine games, including the Peach Bowl against Tennessee. The following season, Napier was a graduate assistant on defense, and gained his first experience with recruiting off the field.
As a player, Napier was a four-year letterwinner and two-time All-Southern Conference selection as the starting quarterback at Furman. The Paladins won two conference championships and in 2001, Napier's junior year, advanced to the Division I-AA national championship game, losing to Montana. He completed 64.8-percent of his career passes, setting a school record. As the team captain during a record-setting senior season, Napier amassed 2,475 passing yards, also a Furman record, and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, given annually to the nation's most outstanding FCS 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 Nelson and Charlie. He earned his bachelor's degree in health & exercise science from Furman in 2002.
The hire is pending ASU Human Resources paperwork approval.
Napier At A Glance
Alma Mater: Furman, 2002
Hometown: Chatsworth, Georgia
Wife: Ali
Children: Annie, Sammy Nelson and Charlie
Coaching Experience
2017-Present, Arizona State (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks)
2013-2017, Alabama (Wide Receivers)
2012, Colorado State (Assistant HC/Quarterbacks)
2011, Alabama (Offensive Analyst)
2009-2010, Clemson (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks)
2006-2008, Clemson (Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator)
2005, South Carolina State (Quarterbacks)
2004, Clemson (Defensive Grad. Assistant)
2003, Clemson (Graduate Assistant)
Playing Experience
1999-2002, Furman University
Bowl Games – Coach
2016 BCS National Championship
2015 BCS National Championship
2014 Sugar Bowl
2013 Sugar Bowl
2011 BCS National Championship
2010 Meineke Car Care Bowl
2009 Music City Bowl
2008 Gator Bowl
2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl
2006 Music City Bowl
2003 Peach Bowl
Recently-hired assistant head coach/offensive line/run game coordinator Josh Henson will serve as co-offensive coordinator, with Napier being the lead coordinator. Henson formerly was the offensive coordinator at Missouri where the Tigers won back-to-back SEC East titles in 2013 and 2014.
Napier served an integral role in achieving National Championships in 2011 and 2015 as part of the Alabama coaching staff and also coached in the 2016 National Championship game. He was instrumental in helping Nick Saban and Alabama achieve a 63-7 record in five seasons at Alabama (2011, 2013-2016) and was part of the great run of 26 consecutive wins from 2015-2016. In 70 games at Alabama, the Crimson Tide offense averaged 6.27 yards per play and 36.4 points per game. Under Dabo Swinney, he aided Clemson as the youngest offensive coordinator in the country to an ACC Atlantic Division title. The 2009 Clemson offense set an all-time school record for most points in a season.
Known as one of the nation's most effective recruiters, Napier led Clemson to the No. 2 overall recruiting class in the nation in 2008.
"Coach Napier will be joining the Sun Devil family as lead offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach," said Graham. "He will join newly hired Josh Henson as co-offensive coordinator. Billy will be a tremendous fit for our football program. I spoke to (current Florida head coach) Jim McElwain, Dabo Swinney and (former Clemson head coach) Tommy Bowden and each spoke highly of Billy's talents. In addition to being an exceptional offensive mind, Billy is widely recognized as one of the nation's finest recruiters. We've truly added some fine recruiters to our staff in the past month."
"I will forever cherish the five seasons I was a part of at the University of Alabama," says Napier. "Words cannot truly describe my gratefulness for Coach Saban, our players, everyone in the organization and in the university community. I'm extremely excited and thankful about this opportunity with Coach Graham. I'm excited about the journey and leadership challenge in the Pac-12 Conference at Arizona State University. We will work tirelessly and we will be relentless in our approach in guiding this football program. Forks Up!"
"I am very happy for Billy," says Swinney. "He will be a great fit at Arizona State. Billy was the youngest offensive coordinator in the country when he had that position here in 2009. We won our first Atlantic Division title that year and set records for offensive production. What we accomplished this year got its start with that team in 2009 and I am indebted to Billy for the work he put in for our program. Billy has always been a terrific recruiter and a tireless worker. He grew up around the game. He was our recruiting coordinator when I became head coach and many of the players we brought in during that time set a standard for this program. He has gained valuable experience at Alabama and I know he is ready for this opportunity."
"This is a great hire for Arizona State," says Tommy Bowden. "I hired Billy as a graduate assistant and when I got the chance to hire him again I brought him right back. He played quarterback so he got to know everything about the position. He's just got that mentality. His dad was a football coach so he grew up around the game. As a recruiter he doesn't let go. He's got all of the intangibles. He's a marketable guy and it doesn't surprise me that he's advanced through this profession."
"Josh Henson has so many great qualities," says former Missouri Head Coach Gary Pinkel. "He loves football, he loves to coach and he loves working with the players. On top of that he's a great recruiter. He can talk football all hours of the day and wake up and do it again the next day. He's very creative and he'll do a tremendous job for Arizona State."
Napier began his fifth season on the Alabama coaching staff as wide receivers coach in 2016. Napier joined the Crimson Tide after serving as the assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach at Colorado State in 2012 for former Tide offensive coordinator Jim McElwain. Napier was an offensive analyst for the Crimson Tide in 2011.
In 2016, Napier's wide receiver corps were led by junior ArDarius Stewart and sophomore Calvin Ridley. Ridley led the way with 72 receptions while Stewart had a team high 864 yards. Ridley added 769 yards and seven scores while Stewart caught 54 passes with eight scores. Graduate transfer Gehrig Dieter caught 15 passes for 214 yards and four scores while Cam Sims also hauled in 14 receptions for 152 yards.
Napier had to replace Amari Cooper in 2015 after the Tide's career receptions leader was taken No. 4 overall in the NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. Stewart, senior transfer Richard Mullaney and Ridley emerged as the Tide's go-to receivers after Robert Foster was lost in the third game to injury. Ridley led the team with a freshman-record 89 catches for 1,045 yards and seven touchdowns. Stewart added 63 catches for 700 yards and four touchdowns, while Mullaney had 38 catches for 390 yards and five scores.
Napier's 2014 unit was led by Alabama's first Biletnikoff Award winner in Cooper, who caught a school- and SEC-record 124 passes for a UA-record 1,727 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns. Cooper led the country in receptions (124), was second nationally in receiving yards (1,727), receiving touchdowns (16) and catches per game (8.9) while ranking third in yards per game (123.4). A Heisman Trophy finalist and unanimous first team All-American, Cooper smashed all of the Tide's career receiving marks with 228 receptions, 3,463 yards and tied the SEC record with 31 receiving touchdowns. Senior DeAndrew White provided Alabama with a dangerous and reliable target opposite Cooper with 40 receptions for 504 yards and four scores.
In his first season as the Crimson Tide's receivers coach in 2013, Napier built a deep and talented group of wide outs. Alabama had four players with at least 32 receptions, led by Cooper's 45 catches for 736 yards. The wide receivers accounted for 72.1 percent of the passes caught in 2013 and 20 of the 30 passing touchdowns.
Kevin Norwood produced a career year with seven touchdowns and 568 receiving yards on 38 grabs. Jones also caught 36 balls for 349 yards and White hauled in 32 catches for 534 yards and four scores.
Injuries forced Napier to go deep down the bench looking for quarterbacks during his one season in Fort Collins. The Rams saw three quarterbacks play significant snaps as the starter with Garrett Grayson going down early in the season and M.J. McPeek following two weeks later, forcing redshirt freshman Conner Smith into action. The trio combined to throw for 2,520 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2012 as Colorado State won three of its final five games.
Napier spent the 2011 season on the Alabama staff as an offensive analyst, helping the Crimson Tide win the 2011 BCS national championship. The Tide ranked 16th in scoring offense, 30th in total offense and 17th in rushing offense in 2011.
Prior to Alabama, Napier spent seven of the previous eight years in two different stints at Clemson. During Napier's final two seasons at Clemson he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. At the age of 29, he became the youngest coordinator in the nation and in Clemson history. In his first season as Clemson's coordinator, the 2009 Tigers scored a school-record 436 points and collected 54 touchdowns (third-most in school history), averaged 5.73 yards per play (fourth best) and finished as the ACC Atlantic Division champions. Quarterback Kyle Parker was named a Freshman All-American and nine players Napier coached from 2009-10 went on to have careers in the NFL.
Napier also served as Clemson's recruiting coordinator from 2006-08. In those three seasons, he compiled two top-25 recruiting classes, according to Rivals.com, and in 2008, his class was tabbed as the second-best in the nation by ESPN.com. Known to his peers as a top recruiter, Napier signed several players who went on to the NFL, including Kavell Conner, Crezdon Butler, Brandon Thompson and Marcus Gilchrist.
Napier was the 2007-08 tight ends coach at Clemson, helping lead the Tigers to two bowl games and a prolific offense. The 2007 season featured a 9-4 record and the ACC's highest-scoring offense. In his first year back with Clemson (2006), Napier worked primarily with the Tigers' tight ends but also was responsible for the punt team and assisted in several special-teams capacities. The 2006 Tigers led the ACC in total offense, rushing and scoring offense, advancing to the Music City Bowl.
Clemson averaged 410.9 yards per game and 32.7 points, more than doubling its opponent's totals. Tight end Hunter Thomas started all 11 games for the Tigers, averaging 19.1 yards per reception. Michael Palmer, who Napier coached for three seasons, went on to the NFL. He also worked with the special teams units, helping develop one of the most talented players in Clemson history, C.J. Spiller.
In 2005, Napier spent one season as the quarterbacks coach and play caller at South Carolina State. The Bulldogs finished the year 9-2 and ranked among the nation's best in several offensive categories, including: rushing (12th), passing efficiency (15th) and scoring offense (17th). S.C. State also had the country's fourth-best turnover margin, committing only 11 turnovers, roughly one-third of the total from the previous season (32). Napier developed Cleve McCoy and molded him into the MEAC Player of the Year. He also recruited offensive tackle Johnny Culbreath, who became a unanimous All-America selection and was drafted by the Detroit Lions.
Napier began his coaching career as an offensive graduate assistant at Clemson in 2003-04. The Tigers won nine games, including the Peach Bowl against Tennessee. The following season, Napier was a graduate assistant on defense, and gained his first experience with recruiting off the field.
As a player, Napier was a four-year letterwinner and two-time All-Southern Conference selection as the starting quarterback at Furman. The Paladins won two conference championships and in 2001, Napier's junior year, advanced to the Division I-AA national championship game, losing to Montana. He completed 64.8-percent of his career passes, setting a school record. As the team captain during a record-setting senior season, Napier amassed 2,475 passing yards, also a Furman record, and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, given annually to the nation's most outstanding FCS 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 Nelson and Charlie. He earned his bachelor's degree in health & exercise science from Furman in 2002.
The hire is pending ASU Human Resources paperwork approval.
Napier At A Glance
Alma Mater: Furman, 2002
Hometown: Chatsworth, Georgia
Wife: Ali
Children: Annie, Sammy Nelson and Charlie
Coaching Experience
2017-Present, Arizona State (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks)
2013-2017, Alabama (Wide Receivers)
2012, Colorado State (Assistant HC/Quarterbacks)
2011, Alabama (Offensive Analyst)
2009-2010, Clemson (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks)
2006-2008, Clemson (Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator)
2005, South Carolina State (Quarterbacks)
2004, Clemson (Defensive Grad. Assistant)
2003, Clemson (Graduate Assistant)
Playing Experience
1999-2002, Furman University
Bowl Games – Coach
2016 BCS National Championship
2015 BCS National Championship
2014 Sugar Bowl
2013 Sugar Bowl
2011 BCS National Championship
2010 Meineke Car Care Bowl
2009 Music City Bowl
2008 Gator Bowl
2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl
2006 Music City Bowl
2003 Peach Bowl