Playing Experience
Four-year letterman and two-year starter at quarterback at Furman (1999-02)...two-time All-Southern Conference selection at quarterback.
Education
B.A. degree in health & exercise science from Furman in 2003.
Coaching Experience
Graduate assistant coach at Clemson (2004)...quarterbacks coach at S.C. State (2005)...tight ends coach at Clemson (2006).
Bowl Seasons as an Assistant Coach
2004 Peach Bowl...2006 Music City Bowl.
Personal Data
Born July 21, 1979 in Cookeville, TN...single.
Billy Napier is one of the youngest assistants in the nation, but he has already earned a significant degree of responsibility within the Clemson football program. The 28-year-old Napier was named Clemson Recruiting Coordinator in 2007, and he has already overseen a top-20 class that should have a positive impact on the program for years to come.
Clemson signed a strong, balanced-by-position, 23-man class in Napier's first year as recruiting coordinator in 2007. The class included Parade All-America quarterback Willy Korn and USA Today All-America cornerback Marcus Gilchrist. Three members of the class were natives of North Carolina, and all three were recruited by Napier. At the conclusion of the recruiting season, Napier was named one of the top-25 recruiters in the nation by Rivals.com.
While he had a positive influence on Clemson from a recruiting standpoint in his first season, he also had a large impact in terms of on-the-field coaching. As tight ends and fullbacks coach, his players were a big reason Clemson led the ACC in scoring offense, total offense, and rushing offense, just the second ACC team to lead the league in all three categories in the same season in the last 25 years.
The blocking of his tight ends and fullbacks was a big reason Clemson was fifth in the nation in rushing, the program's highest national finish in that area in 11 years. They were also key reasons the Tigers scored a record 55 touchdowns, including 31 rushing, in 2006.
Napier's pupils were led by senior tight end Thomas Hunter, who had 305 receiving yards, the most by a Clemson tight end since All-American Bennie Cunningham in 1975. Hunter was also a leader off the field and was a recipient of the Weaver-James-Corrigan scholarship from the ACC, the only male student-athlete at Clemson to receive the honor. Hunter along with fullback Alex Pearson were both named to the All-ACC Academic team as well.
Napier came to Clemson on February 6, 2006. He had just been named offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at S.C. State. During the 2005 season, he helped the Bulldogs to a 9-2 record, including a 7-1 mark in the MEAC under Head Coach Buddy Pough.
With Napier guiding the Bulldog quarterbacks, S.C. State averaged 34.4 points per game, 17th-best among the 116 Division I-AA teams. S.C. State scored at least 23 points in every game but one, and averaged 39 points per game over the last four games of the year, all Bulldog victories.
S.C. State was 12th in the nation in rushing and 15th in passing efficiency. It averaged 236 yards per game on the ground and 160 per game through the air. The efficient offense contributed to a fourth-place national finish in turnover margin. The offense committed just 11 turnovers during the 2005 season after losing 33 in 2004.
Napier served as an offensive video graduate assistant at Clemson in 2003 and an on-field graduate assistant coach who worked with the defense during the 2004 season. The Tigers were bowl eligible both seasons, including 2003 when Clemson defeated two top-10 teams in Florida State and Tennessee. The victory over #6 Tennessee took place in the Peach Bowl, and it elevated Clemson into the final AP and USA Today national top 25.
Napier also gained experience as an off-campus recruiter for the Clemson program in December of 2004 and January of 2005. He helped the Tigers bring in a top-25 ranked recruiting class in February of 2005.
At 28, Napier is one of the youngest full-time assistant football coaches in the nation at the Division I level.
Napier was an outstanding quarterback at Furman in nearby Greenville, SC. He lettered four years for the Paladins (1999-02) and was a two-time All-Southern Conference signal-caller. A Furman team captain in 2002, he broke the school single-season passing record with 2,475 yards along with the completion percentage record (68.5). He was also a finalist for the 2002 Walter Payton Award, which is given annually to the top offensive player in Division I-AA.
Napier still holds the Furman career record for completion percentage (64.8) and is third in passing yards (4,247). He graduated from Furman with a bachelor of arts degree in health & exercise science in February of 2003. He is a native of Chatsworth, GA and a 1998 graduate of Murray County High School.