Florida head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] went over a lot in his post-early signing day press conference, but one of the major points discussed was just how many of the 20 signees will enroll early. According to Napier, the bulk of the class should arrive in the spring.
Of Florida’s 20 signees, Napier expects 18 to be in Gainesville for spring practices. Rather than listing each name that plans to early enroll, it’s easier to list those who won’t: wide receiver [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag] and defensive lineman [autotag]Gavin Hill[/autotag].
Adding 18 players to the roster a few months early could be huge for Billy Napier and Co. The Gators are replacing a ton of talent after many draft departures, dismissals and transfers. Getting the new Napier-recruited talent on campus early means more time to teach them the playbook, system, etc. More practice time means a better shot at finding early snaps, too.
“The other thing that’s going to help is you’re going to have 20 players that start in January,” said Napier during his early signing day presser, “and I think that translates to more reps and more teaching and more opportunity to get orientated to the university and just life in general in college. But I do think that there will be a number of this group (that compete for early playing time). They’re going to have to earn it.”
It can’t be overstated how important it was for Florida to bring in a group of recruits that were willing to enroll early, and Napier did an exceptional job making sure everything went according to plan.
In case you’re looking for a full list of early enrollees, here’s a list of the players that should be coming to Gainesville in the spring:
- 5-star quarterback [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag]
- 4-star running back [autotag]Treyaun Webb[/autotag]
- 4-star receiver [autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag]
- 4-star receiver [autotag]Andy Jean[/autotag]
- 4-star offensive lineman [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag]
- 3-star offensive lineman [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag]
- 3-star offensive tackle [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag]
- 4-star defensive lineman [autotag]Kelby Collins[/autotag]
- 4-star defensive lineman [autotag]Kamran James[/autotag]
- 4-star defensive lineman [autotag]TJ Searcy[/autotag]
- 4-star defensive linemen [autotag]Will Norman[/autotag]
- 4-star linebacker [autotag]Jaden Robinson[/autotag]
- 4-star cornerback [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag]
- 4-star cornerback [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag]
- 4-star safety [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag]
- 4-star safety [autotag]Jordan Castell[/autotag]
- 4-star safety [autotag]Bryce Thornton[/autotag]
- 4-star athlete [autotag]Aaron Gates[/autotag]
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