Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — If Savannah Bailey had remained on her original career path, the past few years would have differed for the University of Tennessee graduate.

Bailey spent her undergraduate years studying viruses, pathogens, and other microorganisms that can cause diseases. But while earning a microbiology degree, Bailey kept her mind open and interests varied, serving in a wide range of campus organizations.

She was a resident assistant. A new-student orientation leader. A student-worker in the vice chancellor's office. She was involved in Greek life. Considering her direction at the time, the potential of a random call from Gators head coach Billy Napier about a job opportunity one day loomed improbable.

"I was the over-involved student for sure," Bailey said. "I did a little bit of everything in student affairs. Being in STEM has made me a bit more meticulous and detailed, and I think that goes a long way in football, especially with Coach Napier."

Bailey's assorted experiences and the lessons she learned helped her transition into a different career, which led her to UF in January when Bailey was named senior director of player relations and the GatorMade program.

Bailey came to Florida from Clemson, where she was the director of life skills and community service with the Tigers' P.A.W. Journey program the past five years. In her role at Clemson, Bailey mentored players, developed opportunities for them to participate in civic engagement and career events, and generally served as a guide to help them navigate the real world.
 

The GatorMade program is described as "a holistic player-focused and purpose-driven initiative" with a similar mission: developing Gators far beyond the football field and providing them with the necessary skills to succeed in life. The program was part of Napier's master plan when he got a job at a school with the resources to support his vision.

"During the pandemic, I was anticipating potential opportunities down the road and doing research on how we would construct this and studied the P.A.W. Journey at Clemson, to their credit,'' Napier said. "I just really believe in the platform and the opportunity we have in college athletics and college football in particular for me. Eventually, we will have 130, 135 young men in our program, and we want to have in place where we work toward having a life-changing impact as a person, as a student, as a player."

Bailey's inspiration to impact others is derived from personal experience.

While at Tennessee, she met Dr. Melissa Shivers, now senior vice president of student life at Ohio State. Shivers became a major influence to Bailey and opened her eyes to different avenues. Bailey began to pivot from a career in medicine to one that involved impacting college students. A soccer player growing up, Bailey attended graduate school at Clemson and reconnected with sports through contacts in the athletic department, including Mike Dooley, who is currently the Tigers' director of football administration and player personnel. While volunteering at a summer football camp, she noticed a sign on a building for Clemson's P.A.W. Journey. Intrigued, she started to ask questions and later met former Tigers standout Jeff Davis, who captained Clemson's 1981 national championship team and played for the Tampa Bay Bucs in the 1980s. Davis headed the program, and Bailey's future career path soon crystallized.

"I really kind of inserted myself and eventually created a position with the support of the football staff there,'' Bailey said. "I was fortunate to have a mentor at Clemson in Jeff Davis, who made it a priority to develop men. That was his only goal, and that's what he was there for. So, we connected immediately. I learned what it looked like from his perspective, but he is also very skilled at development, fundraising, and just ideation when defining what it is to be a man of excellence."

Bailey's work at Clemson caught the attention of Napier, who remembered the infantile stage of Clemson's P.A.W. Journey program from his time as an assistant coach there in 2009-10. He watched it grow from afar as his coaching career took off, and when Florida hired Napier in December, he had Bailey in mind for a job.

Meanwhile, she had a winter formal on her mind.

"I know you don't know me, but I've been paying attention to Clemson and that program for a long time," Napier said. "I would love to have you come down and talk about a program like P.A.W. Journey here from scratch. Can I get you down this Thursday?"

"Well, graduation is this Thursday, and I'm not going to miss that,'' Bailey told him. "I've got priorities in my current students. But I can come down next week."

"That's exactly why I want you down here," Napier said.

It was only a matter of time from there. Bailey was introduced to her new position in mid-January and for the past three months has worked to develop the program into a longterm difference-maker. The Gators have pieces in place ahead of other schools, including the resources of the Hawkins Center.

Bailey directs the GatorMade program, which also features former UF player Vernell Brown Jr., who remained on staff and is now senior director of student-athlete development and alumni relations. Napier hired Marcus Castro-Walker as director of player engagement and NIL. Castro-Walker plays an important role in teaching financial literacy. Diane Lebon, another staff member with experience at UF, serves as football business manager and GatorMade coordinator.

Brown played for the Gators in the early 2000s and has been part of the football staff since 2018. Before the GatorMade program came to fruition, he said he tried to serve as a big brother-father figure for the players in a program the previous staff termed GatorLife, using his background to connect on a personal level.

"A lot of those simple things that get lost in the cracks, I'm here to fill those cracks,'' he said. "When you are a guy like me who not only played but played here, what you say might resonate a little more at times. It's about the connection and relationship you have with guys to make them comfortable and understand that you have their best interests at heart."

Today, the resources players have at their disposal stand in stark contrast to a few years ago, Brown said. Napier seeks to build a blueprint for the future in player development, and Brown appreciates the commitment.

"You've seen it morph and change to where it's a really pivotal part in the success of programs around the country,'' Brown said. "Most of our guys who come here aspire to play here and play in the NFL, but the reality of it is that that doesn't happen for a whole lot of them. And even for those that do, in order to maximize the opportunity to play in the NFL, you've got to be able to capitalize on all these different things that we specialize in."

Bailey recently organized a trip to Atlanta for nine players over spring break. The group met with the Atlanta Gator Club and nine different companies, an opportunity for the players to explore future options and network with Gator Nation.

Napier aims to create internal and external support for GatorMade, which he wants to become as much a part of Florida Football as Orange & Blue helmets.

"We are just in the beginning stages. This is a comprehensive year-round curriculum and series of experiences that a player has,'' Napier said. "What I've seen is that these experiences change the perspective of the player, and then all of sudden, when they go to class, or they go to Hawkins Center, or they're living life, they're visualizing what they want to do or who they want to become. One of the ways you change people is that you expose them to different people and different events. That's what we want to do with GatorMade.

"We're hopeful that this becomes the absolute best player-development program in the entire country. This is an area where people can invest in the player. And at the University of Florida, with the alumni network that we have and the top-five university education that we offer, there's no reason we can't do just that."

Bailey and Napier envision a day when GatorMade arranges trips abroad for players, social-media summits, career placements, regular business trips like the recent one to Atlanta, an annual leadership conference, and more.

In her brief time at UF, Bailey is learning Gator Nation stretches far beyond Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. She wants each young man's mind to do the same.

"I try to make it very clear: I'm never going to control someone's playing time. But I want to support them any way I can," she said. "My job is to empower them — to provide the exposure and experiences for them to take advantage of.

"I'm very excited for them to dream a little bit. Their identity as a person has probably never been more noticed than right now, and I'm excited for them to show the world who they are."