Florida football is coming off one of its most successful weekends of this summer’s recruiting season, having landed three blue-chip 2023 defensive linemen as well as their first 2024 commitment, legacy linebacker Myles Graham. But the marquee event was that trio of big men who figure to play a huge role in the future of Florida’s defense.
Timed perfectly with the grand opening of the Gators’ new state-of-the-art facility — the 142,000-square foot, $85 million James W. “Bill” Heavener Football Training Center, which was unveiled on Sunday — Billy Napier and his staff finally cracked the top 10 on 247Sports’ recruiting rankings, coming in right at No. 10 on that same day.
The commitments of four-star defensive linemen Kelby Collins (Gardendale High, Alabama), Will Norman (IMG Academy, Florida) and Kamran James (Olympia High, Florida) were difference-makers, giving the Gators a trifecta of trench warriors who gave their word within a two-day span, sparking excitement across the Gator Nation.
The end of the Dan Mullen era left the program in shambles — particularly on the recruiting front. Since then, his replacement has worked tirelessly picking up the pieces and navigating the program from the depths of the 2023 class rankings back to one of the top blue-chip destinations in the nation. The nascent staff’s added emphasis on incoming talent as well as the infrastructure boost the Heavener Center gives the Gators will help the Orange and Blue regain the luster it once had.
So fear not, Gator fans, it seems that boy from the bayou is just getting started when it comes to putting Florida football back on track. If these are the results he gets starting from scratch with a broken-down program — and there is still room for improvement in this year’s recruiting cycle — just imagine where the program will be a year or two down the road.
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