Billy Napier managed to put together a pretty decent recruiting class in just two months after taking over Florida, but the class of 2023 will be the real measuring stick by which he’s judged. ESPN put together a list of five college football programs that are in dire need of a strong haul in 2023, and the Gators predictably made the cut.
Former coach [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] left the team with plenty of holes and Napier has been clear about his team lacking depth in the spring. He’ll look to the transfer portal to fill some of those voids for the upcoming season, but the players he signs in December and February will be the cornerstones of the “Napier Era.”
Mullen’s recruiting at Florida was up and down, and a criticism from media and fans was often on the developmental side with the high-level prospects not panning out.
Napier took over and recruited five ESPN 300 commits in the 2022 class, finishing No. 31 in the class rankings… While Napier proved he was able to win at Louisiana, he is probably going to have to show recruits he and his staff can win in Gainesville to gain their trust.
Florida has ESPN 300 athlete [autotag]Aaron Gates[/autotag] committed in the 2023 cycle, which is a good start, but this class will be highly important for Napier going forward.
Florida added three-star receiver [autotag]Tyree Patterson[/autotag] to the commitment list on Sunday, but he and Gates are just the start for Napier. A fleet of five-star and four-star recruits have visited Gainesville over the spring, most recently for the Orange and Blue game on Thursday. The Gators have themselves in a good position to land at least a few blue-chippers, but nothing is certain until the pen hits paper.
Napier knows the importance of recruiting and has put a major focus on it since he took over. In his introductory press conference, he claimed he’d build an army, and six months later he has one of the deepest recruiting staffs in the country. The pressure may be on, but Napier and Co. seem up to the challenge that is recruiting high school athletes in the year 2022.
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