Gators head coach Billy Napier has added 22 players to the roster since taking over in December. (Photo: Isabella Marley/UAA Communications)
Carter's Corner: Napier Showed He's All-In On Recruiting Trail
Saturday, February 5, 2022 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Gators coach Billy Napier and his army of support staff finally took a leave heading into the weekend. For Napier, that meant moving into a new house and officially rejoining his other team: wife Ali and their three kids.
In their first cycle through the talent-acquisition business as Florida Gators, Napier and Co. proved they could hold their ground when under siege.
They had no choice.
When Napier stepped foot on the UF campus for the first time in a decade on Dec. 5, he had 59 days to assemble Florida's 2022 recruiting class. In December, the Gators signed nine players during the Early Signing Period, added five transfers afterward, and inked eight more players Wednesday on National Signing Day.
In the recruiting world, they call these hair-on-fire roster adjustments "transition classes." New coach. Limited time. More questions than answers.
"A lot of early mornings and late nights," Napier said.
Napier and UF staff members hit the ground and the air. Once the dust settled late Wednesday afternoon and Napier stepped to the podium for a press conference, he thanked everyone from local hotels to the University Athletic Association pilots.
"I'm pleased with the progress we've made,'' Napier said. "I thought we answered a lot of needs."
This is a class that won't draw any comparisons to some of the best in school history on the front end. On the back end, maybe the class's prestige will be redefined by its play on the field. If all goes well during his tenure with the Gators, Napier would like this to be his lowest-ranked class. If the Gators are restored as a national power under Napier's watch, it will be.
Here is what we know now: Napier proved his recruiting prowess under the circumstances.
The Gators' class was in shambles after former coach Dan Mullen was dismissed the day following a loss at Missouri on Nov. 20. Napier was introduced as UF's new head coach a week later, and another week passed before Napier landed in Gainesville and got to work at his new place of employment.
In those 59 days, the Gators essentially returned from the dead in the national rankings of the four major recruiting outlets. ESPN.com ranked the Gators as low at 63rd nationally after the Early Signing Period, a recruiting class lost in the wilderness compared to where the Gators usually live.
Florida improved its standing significantly compared to other blue-blood programs with first-year head coaches expected to compete for conference and national championships each season.
"It's certainly been a great transition filled with problems, but we're excited about some of the opportunities that come with that," Napier said. "I don't think I've ever batted a thousand with signing day. [You have] to tell some of our young people in the building, 'hey, this is a little more like baseball here. We've got to swing a lot and make contact, and at the end of the day, we need 25 really good hits.'
"It requires a little bit of perspective."
In four recruiting classes with Mullen as head coach, the Gators signed two five-star players straight out of high school – defensive lineman Gervon Dexter in 2020 and cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. in 2021. Both players figure to play prominent roles in Napier's first season. The Gators' headliner in this class is IMG Academy safety Kamari Wilson, a five-star prospect who joined the fold after Napier's arrival. Much was made of Wilson's flip from Georgia, and rightfully so.
The reason Wilson's signing received so much attention is two-fold. First, over the same four-year span in which Dexter and Marshall were Florida's only five-star signees, Georgia signed 20. There's no guarantee five stars will equal Saturday stardom, but when there is such a disparity between you and your main rival, that is not viewed favorably by the Orange & Blue faithful. Second, by adding Wilson, Napier showed an ability to connect with talent at the IMG Academy, which has proven troublesome for the Gators since the private boarding school started a football program in 2013.
In the end, reasonable-minded recruitniks who grasp the larger picture understand the Gators salvaged a high-quality class in a short amount of time. Those who expect every 18-year-old who utters "Gators" to sign are already complaining about the 2023 class.
That's life on the trail. No one bats a thousand in this game.
Napier has moved on and is ready to implement Phase II of his offseason program, building the team's identity. He is constructing his program's identity, too.
"What we're trying to do here is create an organization of people, where we can impact the player in a lot of different ways … create a unique experience – one that's different than anywhere in the country.
"We've got a great product to sell. Kids want to come to the University of Florida. I think this is a powerful place. This is a strong brand. And there's passion about this place. That becomes a reality all of a sudden when you're selling this place. When you're on the road, and you're working, you're hustling, and in a short period of time. I'm pleased with the work we've been able to get done."
He should be. The same goes for those who understood the task at hand two months ago.
In their first cycle through the talent-acquisition business as Florida Gators, Napier and Co. proved they could hold their ground when under siege.
They had no choice.
When Napier stepped foot on the UF campus for the first time in a decade on Dec. 5, he had 59 days to assemble Florida's 2022 recruiting class. In December, the Gators signed nine players during the Early Signing Period, added five transfers afterward, and inked eight more players Wednesday on National Signing Day.
In the recruiting world, they call these hair-on-fire roster adjustments "transition classes." New coach. Limited time. More questions than answers.
"A lot of early mornings and late nights," Napier said.
Napier and UF staff members hit the ground and the air. Once the dust settled late Wednesday afternoon and Napier stepped to the podium for a press conference, he thanked everyone from local hotels to the University Athletic Association pilots.
"I'm pleased with the progress we've made,'' Napier said. "I thought we answered a lot of needs."
This is a class that won't draw any comparisons to some of the best in school history on the front end. On the back end, maybe the class's prestige will be redefined by its play on the field. If all goes well during his tenure with the Gators, Napier would like this to be his lowest-ranked class. If the Gators are restored as a national power under Napier's watch, it will be.
Here is what we know now: Napier proved his recruiting prowess under the circumstances.
The Gators' class was in shambles after former coach Dan Mullen was dismissed the day following a loss at Missouri on Nov. 20. Napier was introduced as UF's new head coach a week later, and another week passed before Napier landed in Gainesville and got to work at his new place of employment.
In those 59 days, the Gators essentially returned from the dead in the national rankings of the four major recruiting outlets. ESPN.com ranked the Gators as low at 63rd nationally after the Early Signing Period, a recruiting class lost in the wilderness compared to where the Gators usually live.
Florida improved its standing significantly compared to other blue-blood programs with first-year head coaches expected to compete for conference and national championships each season.
"It's certainly been a great transition filled with problems, but we're excited about some of the opportunities that come with that," Napier said. "I don't think I've ever batted a thousand with signing day. [You have] to tell some of our young people in the building, 'hey, this is a little more like baseball here. We've got to swing a lot and make contact, and at the end of the day, we need 25 really good hits.'
"It requires a little bit of perspective."
| SCHOOL | COACH | FORMER COACH | ESPN | On3 | 247Sports | RIVALS | AVG. |
| Florida | Billy Napier | Dan Mullen | 32 | 25 | 19 | 24 | 25.0 |
| LSU | Brian Kelly | Ed Orgeron | 13 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 12.8 |
| Miami | Mario Cristobal | Manny Diaz | 19 | 11 | 15 | 34 | 19.8 |
| Notre Dame | Marcus Freeman | Brian Kelly | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6.8 |
| Oklahoma | Brent Venables | Lincoln Riley | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8.3 |
| Oregon | Dan Lanning | Mario Cristobal | 36 | 17 | 25 | 45 | 30.8 |
| USC | Lincoln Riley | Clay Helton | 52 | 50 | 65 | 59 | 56.5 |
In four recruiting classes with Mullen as head coach, the Gators signed two five-star players straight out of high school – defensive lineman Gervon Dexter in 2020 and cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. in 2021. Both players figure to play prominent roles in Napier's first season. The Gators' headliner in this class is IMG Academy safety Kamari Wilson, a five-star prospect who joined the fold after Napier's arrival. Much was made of Wilson's flip from Georgia, and rightfully so.
The reason Wilson's signing received so much attention is two-fold. First, over the same four-year span in which Dexter and Marshall were Florida's only five-star signees, Georgia signed 20. There's no guarantee five stars will equal Saturday stardom, but when there is such a disparity between you and your main rival, that is not viewed favorably by the Orange & Blue faithful. Second, by adding Wilson, Napier showed an ability to connect with talent at the IMG Academy, which has proven troublesome for the Gators since the private boarding school started a football program in 2013.
In the end, reasonable-minded recruitniks who grasp the larger picture understand the Gators salvaged a high-quality class in a short amount of time. Those who expect every 18-year-old who utters "Gators" to sign are already complaining about the 2023 class.
That's life on the trail. No one bats a thousand in this game.
Napier has moved on and is ready to implement Phase II of his offseason program, building the team's identity. He is constructing his program's identity, too.
"What we're trying to do here is create an organization of people, where we can impact the player in a lot of different ways … create a unique experience – one that's different than anywhere in the country.
"We've got a great product to sell. Kids want to come to the University of Florida. I think this is a powerful place. This is a strong brand. And there's passion about this place. That becomes a reality all of a sudden when you're selling this place. When you're on the road, and you're working, you're hustling, and in a short period of time. I'm pleased with the work we've been able to get done."
He should be. The same goes for those who understood the task at hand two months ago.
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