Billy Napier says Florida Gators DC Austin Armstrong will ‘prove’ he’s top-flight recruiter

Billy Napier, as coaches often do, leaned on his connections when he needed to find a defensive coordinator earlier this year. That led him to Austin Armstrong, a coaching up-and-comer, who Napier ultimately hired for the ultra-important position.

But while Napier knew Armstrong’s track record and abilities well (they’d worked together in the past), most Florida fans did not. What they knew was this: Armstrong was only 29 and never had been a Power 5 coordinator.

One of the biggest question marks regarding Armstrong was this: Could he recruit at the level Florida needed him to?

Well, during his first seven weeks on the job, Armstrong seems to be proving he has some recruiting chops as prospects and parents that have met him appear to be impressed. 

And Napier, for one, doesn’t seem surprised.

“He was one of the best recruiters we had in the past,” Napier told Gators Online on Wednesday night before his speaking engagement in Fort Myers, Florida. “And he’ll prove that (at Florida).”

Armstrong came to Florida from Alabama, where he was — briefly — the Crimson Tide’s linebackers coach. He joined that program in January 2023 after spending the previous two years as defensive coordinator at Southern Miss.

Before that, Armstrong worked for Napier at Louisiana. Twice.

He was inside linebackers coach in 2020 and previously was a graduate assistant coach with the Ragin’ Cajuns for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He spent 2019 at Georgia as a defensive quality control coach.

What will make Armstrong a strong recruiter in Gainesville? 

Armstrong has thus far impressed Napier on multiple levels

According to Napier, Armstrong’s ability to interact with and coach his current players is an attention-getter for potential future Gators. Thus far, Napier has seen signs that have him excited about the potential with Armstrong.

“So far (Armstrong) has proven that he has the intelligence — he can make the players better,” Napier said. “And I think he’s also got the right temperament and is really connected with the players. So I think that’s the first judgment as an assistant coach. I think those same qualities relate to recruiting. (Recruits) come on campus, they ask the players about the coaches. So I think, so far so good.”

Armstrong has connected well with recruits on a personal level, multiple targets have told Gators Online.

Said 4-star 2025 safety Hylton Stubbs of Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin after visiting the Gators in March: “He’s just a really cool and down-to-earth person. We talked very well and got along very well, so there were nice conversations. I really loved the conversations with him because he was really cool and there were really no off things about him.”

Florida currently has the No. 4 recruiting class in the country (COMMIT LIST AND RANKINGS HERE). Just last week, the Gators landed 4-star safety Xavier Filsaime of Texas.

“I feel like (Armstrong) is going to take the whole defense and will turn it into a really good defense,” Filsaime told Gators Online.

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