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The Gators’ performance during the early signing period left pundits with the impression that, while the team was doing well with its priority targets, head coach Billy Napier’s first recruiting class would be a small one.
At the time, it seemed like a reasonable prediction. The football team doesn’t have many scholarships to spare. Compounded by the fact that it’s typically tough for a new coaching staff to make up ground on a recruiting class that they didn’t have a hand in shaping from the start, Napier was behind the 8-ball from the start.
Instead, Florida’s new coaches have been raking in commits left and right. The recent weekend haul of quarterback Max Brown, defensive lineman Andrew Savaiinaea and tight end Hayden Hansen finally pushed the team over the 85-man scholarship limit.
In a vacuum, all of the commits Florida’s staff has pulled can be justified. Brown fills the shoes of a developmental pass catcher with a diversified skill set that can play in the SEC. Savaiinaea adds bulk to an edge-rushing group that is lacking punch. Hansen is the only tight end in the Gators’ group of commits and is a blocker who fits nicely with Napier’s run-heavy scheme.
Similarly, there is easy enough reasoning that can be provided for any of the team’s many mid-level commits. However, the huge support staff being installed behind the scenes was explicitly meant to make recruiting more efficient, both in terms of identifying targets and setting the heavy hitters — coaches like Corey Raymond, Patrick Toney, William Peagler, and Sean Spencer — up for success. Long story short, they’re streamlining things so the team isn’t drawing commitments from players they don’t really feel good about.
With that context in mind, the team’s willingness to not only push over the 85-man cap without any hint of applying the brakes on the recruiting trail means they expect to see more players leave the program in the coming weeks. As it is, there isn’t enough room on the roster for everyone, and the team is still connected to 2022 recruits such as linebacker Harold Perkins, safeties Jacoby Matthews and Khamari Terrell, running back Tre’ Citizen, wide receiver Caleb Douglas, tight end Arlis Boardingham, and more!
It’s irresponsible to speculate too much about who may be on the chopping block, but there are some hints about what could be coming down the pipe for the Gators’ roster. Emory Jones originally planned on entering the transfer portal before doubling back and enrolling in spring semester classes. Nay’Quan Wright posted a cryptic and since-deleted tweet that could have been interpreted as a farewell.
There aren’t really any solid fingerholds to rest a hunch on, though, so it’s something of a fool’s errand to try to guess who will wind up on a different team in a month or two.
Spring practices will have a great deal of impact on the way things turn out in this regard. It’s inevitable that certain players will feel uncomfortable with the new playbook or the new coaches. On the other side of the coin, the coaches will inevitably find that they are dissatisfied by a handful of players’ performances on the backfields. The overlap of that Venn diagram will be where a number of the departures come from.
The moral of the story? Brace yourself. The Gators will be losing at least two players from their roster, and probably more. You’ll never see it on a press release or hear it from the podium and into reporters’ mics, but the team’s actions equate to screaming it from the rooftops.
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