Tag: Bryce Thornton

Billy Napier describes trio of defensive backs as a ‘very versatile group’

Gators fans could see some improvements in the secondary next season thanks to Napier’s positional overhaul.

The Florida secondary will be undergoing an overhaul for the 2023 season. Defensive backs [autotag]Trey Dean III[/autotag], [autotag]Rashad Torrence II[/autotag], [autotag]Donovan McMillon[/autotag] and [autotag]Corey Collier Jr[/autotag]. have all left the program either due to graduation, declaring for the NFL draft or entering the transfer portal.

[autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] and [autotag]Miguel Mitchell[/autotag] are the only returning safeties from the 2022 season. Because of the roster turnover, highly-touted recruits like [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag] will undoubtedly get playing time over the course of the season. But those aren’t the names that Napier singled out.

Head coach Billy Napier believes that [autotag]Jordan Castell[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Thornton[/autotag], and [autotag]Aaron Gates[/autotag] are the early contenders to provide the position depth in 2023. In addition to being the team’s defensive coordinator, [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag] is also tasked with being the safeties coach, working with cornerbacks coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag] to craft the defensive backfield.

Napier praised Castell’s ability to cover receivers in man-to-man or zone coverage, Thornton’s football IQ, and Gates’ competitive nature, noting that he was the lone holdover from the previous staff to become a Florida Gator in 2023. Gates is coming off a torn ACL suffered in his final season of prep football, but the staff maintained their belief in him and brought him in.

Overall, the secondary looks to be at the dawn of a new era. For a long time, Florida fans were unsure about the talent level in the secondary. It seems like this group will be the ones to begin the process of restoring Florida to its “DBU” status, something that hasn’t been able to be said in a long time.

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Where Florida’s 2023 recruiting class finished in final On3 rankings

Half of Florida’s 2023 recruiting class wound up in the On3 top 300 after the final update was released on Tuesday.

The Florida Gators already signed the bulk of its 2023 recruiting class, and the haul is looking even better than expected after On3 provided its last update to its independent rankings, the On300.

Ten of Florida’s signees cracked the top 300 and five players made it into the top 100.

Again, this is On3’s independent rankings, which is used to reach the more commonly cited On3 consensus or 247Sports composite rankings. Those are aggregate scores that use different formulas depending on the site and are used more often because they help eliminate any one service’s individual bias.

Several of Florida’s signees participated in All-Star games and boosted their stock with good performances against some of the top players in the class. The two most notable were cornerback [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag] and defensive lineman [autotag]Kelby Collins[/autotag], who each moved up over 50 spots to break into the top 50.

Here’s a look at where each Florida signee from the class of 2023 finished in the On300 rankings.

Florida’s 2023 recruiting class is loaded with early enrolees

With early signing day in the books, we now have a better idea of which members of Florida’s recruiting class of 2023 will early enroll.

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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Here’s what Billy Napier said after early national signing day

Here’s what Billy Napier had to say about each player that signed with Florida during the early signing period.

Florida got 20 commits to sign during the 2023 early signing period, and [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] had a lot to say about the class following all the action.

Napier spoke to the press Wednesday afternoon/evening after an hour-long delay that allowed quarterback [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag]’s name to be added to the list of signees. Florida’s head coach spoke in-depth about each player in the class and Gators Wire has compiled a list of everything that he said.

Coach Napier also tackled general questions about recruiting in-state, the role NIL plays, adding more players through the transfer portal and which member of the class of 2023 will early enroll.

The TL;DR is that Napier’s team feels very confident about each player that was added to the program on Wednesday, and there was a strong emphasis on what kind of home each player came from. Napier firmly believes that being raised by a quality family helps create quality student-athletes.

Here’s a full transcript of everything Napier said on Wednesday.

Florida’s Sports Illustrated recruiting ranking improves in November update

The Florida Gators rise in Sports Illustrated’s November recruiting rankings update. In October, they came in as the No. 12 team in the 2023 class.

Despite an up-and-down season on the field, the Florida Gators have maintained their place among the 2023 recruiting class. In Sports Illustrated’s November update to their recruiting rankings, the Orange and Blue have improved one spot, moving from their October spot of No. 12 to No. 11.

This is positive but surprising news for Billy Napier and his staff. The Gators noticeably struck out on [autotag]Cormani McClain[/autotag], the nation’s No. 1 cornerback per multiple recruiting services, when he announced his surprise commitment to the University of Miami. Considered to be a Florida lock by multiple recruiting outlets for weeks, the miss felt like a hard stop on the positive recruiting momentum that Napier built over the summer.

Despite losing out the top player in the state of Florida, Sports Illustrated values the other October recruiting moves enough to bump the Gators up slightly in their rankings. Here is what their analysts had to say about Florida’s October on the recruiting trail:

McClain miss aside, October was tangibly strong for Billy Napier and company on the trail. It starts with a bigger need than cornerback satisfied in flipping [autotag]Roderick Kearny[/autotag] from Florida State. The SI99 offensive line recruit has multiple-position ability on a college-ready frame. Earlier in the month, UF all but wrapped up its defensive back recruiting with the pledge of former Ohio State commitment [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag] and Atlanta-area safety [autotag]Bryce Thornton[/autotag] on the same day.

Reading that the defensive back class is still strong makes the McClain miss easier to swallow. The Kearny flip was massive too, especially given that Florida took him from their biggest in-state rival. Overall, missing out on one player is not going to destroy the entire class, even if that player would have done wonders for the perception of the Florida program.

One way to improve recruiting is to show results on the field. The Gators’ next opportunity to do that is Saturday when they travel to College Station to take on Texas A&M. Kickoff is scheduled for noon EDT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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Friday Night Notes: Florida picks up 2 DBs, Oregon nabs top ’23 kicker, plus more

Latest high school football recruiting news from around the U.S.

USA TODAY High School Sports‘ Friday Night Notes is a weekly high school football recruiting recap that looks at the latest news from around the country—from the Class of 2023 to ’24 and beyond.

No team had a better recruiting week than Florida, which has become a haven for elite defensive back prospects looking for an access point to reach the next level.

The Gators continued building up their secondary this week by gaining commitments from two of the top remaining undecided defensive backs in the class of 2023.

Andrew Ivins, 247Sports

The big prize for Florida was getting cornerback Dijon Johnson, who committed to playing for coach Billy Napier on Wednesday. Johnson (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) had originally committed to Ohio State but backed out a few months ago.

Johnson is a four-star recruit ranked No. 7 among corners and No. 96 nationally in his class. His game features ridiculous straight-line speed and ball skills. Last season as a Junior, he posted six interceptions, including four pick-sixes. Johnson says he expects this class to get better, per ESPN.

“The future is bright in Gainesville. I feel like I can help take the program back to the top with Coach Napier and the rest of the recruits they got coming in. … [The class] is going to keep going up. The class is going to keep getting better and better.”

Speaking of which, the Gators also got a commitment from Milton (Ga.) safety Bryce Thornton on the same day. Thornton had previously narrowed his choices down to Alabama and Florida, which hosted him for several visits as they sought to recruit him. Thornton (5-foot-10, 185 pounds) is a three-star prospect who posted 93 tackles last year. He also has some experience as a running back and as a kickoff returner.

Florida now has 22 hard commits total, worth 267.85 points. As a result, they have received a small jump in the 2023 recruiting rankings, now placed No. 8 behind LSU.

Tracking which recruits attend Florida’s Week 7 matchup with LSU

There will be a ton of recruits visiting the Swamp this weekend to see Florida face LSU.

The Florida Gators are set to host the LSU Tigers over the weekend for a major SEC matchup, but those aren’t the only visitors that Billy Napier and Company need to worry about this week. The recruiting team is set to host dozens of elite prospects from three different classes on Saturday (2023, 2024 and 2025).

Keeping track of all those prospects can get confusing, but we’ve got you covered. Below is every confirmed visitor, both official and unofficial, for the weekend. Some big names, such as five-star cornerback [autotag]Cormani McClain[/autotag], are still up in the air right now, but Gators Wire will update this list throughout the weekend and include the newest additions at the top.

Florida’s coming off a pair of commitments on Thursday from cornerback [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Bryce Thornton[/autotag], which brings the class of 2023 to 22 total commitments. There’s still room to add a player or two, though, and the Gators are rolling out the red carpet this week.

Gators earn second commitment, complete flip of former 4-star OSU commit

The Gators went 2-for-2 on Thursday and earned commitments from two priority defensive backs.

Florida was hoping to add two names to the class of 2023 on Thursday, and Billy Napier‘s recruiting team got the job done. After getting the nod from safety [autotag]Bryce Thornton[/autotag] earlier in the day, four-star cornerback [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag] announced his commitment to UF Thursday evening. On3’s Hayes Fawcett broke the news.

Johnson backed off a three-month commitment to Ohio State at the end of July after stopping by the Swamp to watch Friday Night Lights. Rumors swirled that he’d be committing to Florida in the weeks following the decommitment, but the flip wasn’t official until now.

In the end, Florida’s scheme and coaching staff were too enticing to say no to.

“I like that they play multiple cornerbacks,” Johnson said to On3. “The people in the building there, I like what coach Napier is building. The atmosphere is crazy, I definitely saw myself playing in that stadium. I am definitely going to help build this class coming in.”

Johnson is ranked No. 100 overall on the On3 consensus and No. 96 on the 247Sports composite. 247Sports likes grades him as the No. 7 safety in the class, and On3 sees him as the No. 10 cornerback in the class. He’ll most likely suit up at corner for Florida and be under the guidance of defensive back guru Corey Raymond.

“They have produced a lot of great ones, and I see myself being the next one there,” Johnson said. “I have the size and length, plus being developed by one of the best cornerback coaches and what he has done in the past definitely stands out to me.”

With the addition of Johnson and Thornton, Florida moves up to No. 8 in the team rankings on both 247Sports and On3.

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Florida adds another defensive back to 2023 recruiting class

Milton High (Alpharetta, Georgia) safety Bryce Thornton is headed to the Swamp! Florida earned his commitment on Thursday afternoon.

The Florida Gators added another commitment to the class of 2023 on Thursday. Milton High (Alpharetta, Georgia) safety [autotag]Bryce Thornton[/autotag] picked the Gators over the Alabama Crimson Tide and is the 21st recruit to pledge his services to the Orange and Blue in the cycle.

Thornton’s announcement was broadcasted on local television and kept brief, but it was clear how big a moment this was for the program. The room was packed with family, friends, coaches and teammates that were ready to explode when Thornton finally made his decision known.

After putting on the UF hat, Thornton briefly explained his decision for the cameras.

“The whole coaching staff, they make it feel like home when I go to Florida, especially Billy Napier and Patrick Toney,” Thornton said. “They make me feel like a main priority, so I’m big on Florida…

“… I just want to thank God, my family, my coaches and my teammates for just helping with this journey and getting here. I want to thank y’all.”

The Gators are set to host Thornton on an official visit over the weekend, so we should hear more from him soon. He is the second safety in the class to commit along with West Orange High four-star [autotag]Jordan Castell[/autotag]. Florida took a pair of safeties in the class of 2022 too, so that could be it at the position for the cycle.

Thornton is a three-star recruit, according to most services. The exception is On3’s individual rankings, where he’s listed as a four-star recruit and No. 27 among safeties in the class, but both the 247Sports composite and the On3 consensus agree that his a three-star recruit ranked just inside the top 500 nationally.

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Florida hoping to earn commitments from a pair of DBs on Thursday

The Gators could add a pair of defensive backs to the class of 2023 by the end of the day.

There are two big recruiting announcements set for Thursday, Oct. 13, that the Florida Gators will have an eye on. Milton (Alpharetta, Georgia) safety [autotag]Bryce Thornton[/autotag] will get things started around 3:15 p.m. EDT and pick between Florida and Alabama, and four-star Wharton (Tampa, Florida) cornerback [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag] will wrap up the day with his decision around 7 p.m. EDT.

Johnson is the higher-rated recruit of the two at No. 101 overall on the On3 consensus. He’s one of defensive backs coach Corey Raymond’s top targets in the class of 2023 along with [autotag]Cormani McClain[/autotag] and would be a big addition to the secondary. Florida’s competition for him is down to Miami, Ohio State and USC. Johnson backed off a commitment to the Buckeyes earlier this year, so Florida is considered the favorite heading into the announcement.

Thornton is a three-star caliber safety, according to three of the four major recruiting services. On3 is the only site to give him a four-star grade, but that could change as the second half of the high school season plays out. Thornton is deciding between Alabama and Florida, but the Crimson Tide are pretty loaded at safety with two five-stars under verbal commitment to the program in the cycle. It would be surprising to see Thornton go to Alabama. The assumption is that he’ll find playing time much easier at UF, and there’s certainly more opportunity in Gainesville than there is in Tuscaloosa.

If Florida can land both these defensive backs, the Gators will have a strong incoming group regardless of whether or not McClain commits. At safety, Thornton would join [autotag]Jordan Castell[/autotag], and Johnson would join a trio of four-star cornerbacks — [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag], [autotag]Aaron Gates[/autotag] and [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag].

It’s worth noting the comments made by former Gator Dee Webb and current UF running back commit Treyaun Webb on Twitter ahead of these two announcements. The Webbs indicated that one of the two wouldn’t pick Florida, and Treyaun’s message was directed at Johnson. Stirring up drama and drawing attention to announcements is the name of the game for the actual recruits, so it would be unwise to read too far into things.

The decision will be coming up soon enough, and Gators Wire will provide updates on each recruit when they make their announcement.

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