UCF NIL Collective Jokes About Billy Napier’s Comments About ‘Rural Central Florida’

Following the Florida Gators’ 41-17 loss to the Miami Hurricanes in Week 1, Gators coach Billy Napier drew further scrutiny Saturday afternoon when he referred to “rural-central Florida” in his postgame press conference. Now, one of Florida’s in-state rivals is capitalizing on the blunder.

On Tuesday morning, UCF’s The Kingdom collective released a T-shirt with the words “RURAL CENTRAL FLORIDA” emblazoned on the front. Launching in 2022, The Kingdom is the official NIL collective of UCF athletics. It will sell the shirts for $25 each, with a portion of the proceeds going directly to the program’s NIL fund.

We love the rural part of Central Florida🤷 https://t.co/dqD3hNi9sH https://t.co/MXUuDA1vbU photo.twitter.com/xcgnxpXA5x

— The Kingdom of NIL (@KingdomNIL) September 3, 2024

The clothing is a direct dig at Napier’s comments after Saturday’s match.

With Napier under pressure in his third season at Florida, the Gators opened with a poor showing in Week 1, fading after halftime and gaining just 261 yards of total offense in a 24-point loss to the in-state rival Hurricanes. Speaking to reporters afterward, Napier made an apparent regional reference as part of a longer response focused on the importance of ignoring outside noise and washing away the emotions of the season-opening defeat.

“One thing I can say, we have a group that works hard,” Napier said. “I think we have character. We have to work on the football side. And I think we have to be a more consistent team and we have to perform better.

“If we can focus on those things, and not necessarily what some guy in his basement is saying on social media in rural Central Florida, then we have a chance to do better.”

Napier’s comments — and the T-shirts they yielded — are sure to surface again next month when UCF visits Florida on Oct. 5. Florida, meanwhile, hosts the Samford Bulldogs at 7 p.m. ET in Week 2, while UCF hosts the Sam Houston State Bearkats on Saturday night (6:30 p.m. ET).