It’s often said that Florida is one of the most talent-rich states in the country. ESPN’s Billy Tucker tends to agree. In a recent ESPN article ranking the top five best states for college football recruiting, Florida takes the top spot, coming in at No. 1 over Texas (No. 2). The rest of the top five includes Georgia (No. 3), California (No. 4), and Alabama (No. 5).
In his piece, Tucker explains his criteria for determining the most talent-rich state in the nation. Among other factors, Tucker cites Florida as having the most ESPN 300 prospect in the 2023 class with 61. Over the past five seasons, the Sunshine State has produced 234 ESPN 300 prospects, the most of any state in the country.
He also highlights the programs that have had the most success recruiting in the state of Florida. SEC East rival Georgia is listed as the out-of-state program with the most success. The Bulldogs had nine players from their 2023 championship roster with roots in Florida, including defensive tackle Jalen Carter.
Despite the recent emphasis, and relative success, [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] has had on winning recruiting battles in the state, Tucker opted to go with Miami as the in-state program that has been most successful with recruiting in the backyard. Mario Cristobal may have had a rough first season on the field, but his No. 5 ranked 2023 recruiting class had 12 of its 15 ESPN 300 recruits come from Florida.
It’s safe to say that if Napier and his staff want to achieve success at the highest levels of college football, they’re going to need to stay the course and continue emphasizing the state of Florida in their recruiting strategy.
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