Tag: Kamari Wilson

What is The Athletic’s biggest question for Florida’s Billy Napier?

The Athletic tracks the top 10 storylines as the 2023 cycle ramps up, including Florida’s situation.

The biggest component of new head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s plan to rebuild Florida football is his fresh approach to recruiting, undertaken with diligence that makes former head coach [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag]’s regime pale in comparison. While there is still a long path back uphill to reach the summit once seen back in the glory days of [autotag]Urban Meyer[/autotag], the early returns appear to signal that the ship is turning around under the new leadership.

However, despite this progress, Napier and Co. are under intense pressure and scrutiny when it comes to assembling their debut recruiting class — much of which is quite unfair but par for the course in the ultra-competitive Southeastern Conference. The Athletic’s Ari Wasserman recently surveyed the top 10 storylines for the 2023 cycle heading into summer and had one major question for the Gators’ rebounding program.

Is Billy Napier going to sign a big-boy class?

If you tracked what Napier did at Florida upon his arrival, you saw a man who understands what it takes in the SEC. He revamped the recruiting department and immediately signed four-star safety [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG, beating Georgia for his signature. Landing Wilson made a statement that Florida is going to win big-time recruiting battles.

Well, we’re six months into the 2023 cycle and Florida has only five commitments. Of those five commitments, only one is rated inside the top 300.

Florida needs a big finish, and it has plenty of open spots. The Gators are still involved with a ton of top-50 players: cornerback [autotag]Cormani McClain[/autotag] of Lakeland (Fla.) Lake Gibson, cornerback [autotag]AJ Harris[/autotag] of Phenix City (Ala.) Central, cornerback [autotag]Tony Mitchell[/autotag] of Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson, linebacker [autotag]Malik Bryant[/autotag] of Orlando (Fla.) Jones, running back [autotag]Cedric Baxter Jr[/autotag]. of Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater and safety [autotag]Joenel Aguero[/autotag] of Danvers (Mass.) St. John’s Prep.

Can Napier be the anti-Dan Mullen and close the deal on a top class?

Wasserman’s concerns are not at all unfair, particularly the fact that Florida has just five commits six months into Napier’s tenure. But it seems he is overlooking the difficulty involved in overhauling the program’s culture, not to mention the fact that it has been nearly a decade since the Gators’ last top-10 class.

The fact of the matter is that Napier needs to do everything he can to maximize the talent he brings in this time around but it is not even close to a make-or-break kind of deal. As CBS Sports’ Chip Patterson mentioned recently, Florida’s new crew is more likely to produce results later than sooner, so while the heat is on it is not imperative that he hit a grand slam from a long-term perspective.

Still, the Gator Nation is hungry for success after one of the most disappointing seasons (and really, the most disappointing decade) in recent memory. Scoring a few wins on the recruiting trail will earn the program a great deal of emotional capital with the fanbase, which is certainly something to consider.

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ESPN takes a look at how Billy Napier’s rebuilding process is going at Florida

The Gators are slowly rebuilding through recruiting and filling positions of need first.

Recently, ESPN took a look at how new head coaches are choosing to rebuild the programs they take over, and [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s first go around with the Florida Gators is an easy case study to look at it given the school’s history and membership in the perenially strong Southeastern Conference.

Identifying positions of need is the first step in ESPN’s assessment, and the list is unsurprisingly long. Running back, wide receiver, offensive line, defensive line and linebacker it reads. Only two of those holes (running back and offensive line) would be filled in the first six months of Napier’s tenure, though.

He had just weeks to scramble and piece together a recruiting class that had prospects jumping ship left and right. Napier ultimately snagged five-star safety, [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag], from Georgia’s grasp and also landed four-star linebacker [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag]. Four-star running back [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] is another nice addition, but the group is still considered weak in a conference that routinely boasts the nation’s top recruiting classes.

New coach Billy Napier has his hands full trying to remake this roster as the previous staff went 6-7 last season with lackluster recruiting over the past few classes. The Gators finished the 2022 recruiting cycle ranked No. 32 overall, last in the SEC.

Napier then turned to the transfer portal, bringing in a trio of offensive players that already know his scheme. [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag], the Sun Belt Conference’s Freshman of the Year, is sure to add to the run game behind four-star Louisiana transfer [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] and fellow interior offensive lineman [autotag]Kamryn Waites[/autotag].

Still, it’s been hard to fill the holes left in the receiving core by [autotag]Jacob Copeland[/autotag] (Maryland) and [autotag]Kemore Gamble[/autotag] (UCF). The transfer portal, in general, has hurt more than it’s helped this offseason. Sure, guys like [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Kimber[/autotag] have a chance to make an impact early, but it doesn’t replace the departing starting talent. Not to mention those who have graduated or turned pro.

The coaches lost quite a bit to the portal and weren’t able to fill every hole… Defensive linemen [autotag]Zachary Carter[/autotag], [autotag]Antonio Valentino[/autotag] and [autotag]Daquan Newkirk[/autotag] are all gone as well, so the defensive staff has some work to do in the front seven to replace the production they had from last season.

It’s not the total overhaul some programs have seen, such as LSU or Oklahoma. In fact, Napier is taking a fairly traditional approach to rebuilding the Gators considering the modern game’s transfer rules. Landing a strong recruiting class in 2023 seems to be the path he’s headed down, but there are questions about whether or not Florida can keep up in the NIL space with some of the nation’s top programs.

As ESPN suggests, there’s still plenty of work to do for Florida to be “rebuilt,” but Napier is addressing the issues one by one. That attentiveness is what got him the gig, and he’s been successful in the past.

Gators set to host another IMG Academy recruit on official visit

The Florida Gators have been after 4-star DL WIll Norman for months. He’ll spend an official visit on the Gators in June.

Head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] is always recruiting, but there seems to be a special place in his heart for IMG Academy in Bradenton. It’s no secret that Florida’s new head coach wants to create an in-state pipeline from the blue-chip factory to Gainesville, and things seem to be coming along nicely.

Last year, the Gators snagged five-star safety [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag], and they have four-star offensive lineman [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] already committed for the class of 2023. Now, top 100 defensive lineman [autotag]Will Norman[/autotag], who Florida has steadily courted over the last few months, will head to the Swamp for an official visit.

He’ll arrive on June 10 and reunite with co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach Sean “Chaos” Spencer. The two have known each other from his time with the New York Giants. Spencer would give Norman pointers that are now translating to the college game.

Florida last hosted Norman in April and the 6-foot-5-inch, 290-pounder left town extremely high on UF. It seems to be a race between the Gators and the Penn State Nittany Lions, who currently hold a 50-50 split of Norman’s crystal ball projections on 247Sports. LSU, Michigan, and Texas A&M round out the top five.

There’s no timeline for a decision, but the summer months before his senior year seem plausible given that he’s now scheduling official visits for June. That’s usually a sign that things are getting serious, and Florida’s been after him for some time now.

Norman is the No. 88 overall recruit on the 247Sports composite and is No. 11 among defensive linemen in the class of 2023.

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Check out where ESPN thinks Florida’s future defense ranks

Will the new coaching staff lead Florida to an elite defense over the next few years? ESPN like UF’s chances.

If you like way-too-early predictions and projections, ESPN’s latest ranking of future defenses might interest you. Georgia made it clear in 2021 that defense is king, at least for now, and it’s worth taking a look ahead at which teams have the most talent on that side of the ball.

Before we dive into it, let’s take a look at exactly what’s being measured in these defensive rankings. It’s impossible to know exactly what a team is going to look like over the next couple of years, but ESPN has opted to take the current rosters and look as far ahead as 2024 to get the job done. Returning players, incoming transfers and expected NFL departures are all factored into these rankings. Still, those changes can continually affect a program if they come up consistently.

With that being said, ESPN has Florida at a respectable No. 21 on the list after finishing at No. 12 last year. The drop is hardly surprising considering the disaster of a defense the Gators have fielded over the past two years. Let’s not forget that defensive coordinator [autotag]Todd Grantham[/autotag] was the first domino to drop in the collapse of the Mullen regime. [autotag]Kaiir Elam[/autotag] and [autotag]Zachary Carter[/autotag], two key contributors over the last two seasons, are also gone via the NFL draft.

“Florida is one of the tougher teams to project after so many changes, on both its roster and the coaching staff. But the foundation on defense, combined with a promising start to recruiting, vaults the Gators into the rankings for the first time in this year’s FPR series.”

Co-defensive coordinators [autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag] and [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag] have plenty of talent to work with in 2022 and showed promise by nabbing five-star safety [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] among a handful of other blue-chip recruits in a short cycle.

[autotag]Gervon Dexter[/autotag] and [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag]. are the players to look for up front, and “the development of others will significant” as well. [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] leads a young group of linebackers, including freshman [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag], and the secondary has some returning talent in [autotag]Trey Dean[/autotag], [autotag]Rashad Torrence[/autotag] and [autotag]Jason Marshall Jr.[/autotag] [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] is also coming back from an injury that kept him out all of last year.

That leaves Florida sixth in terms of future defenses in the Southeastern Conference. Georgia, Texas A&M and Alabama take up Nos. 2-4 on the list, in that order, after reeling in strong recruiting classes year after year. If [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] can keep up the early success he’s had at Florida bringing in young talent, then Florida should start to close the gap between No. 21 and those three schools in the top five.

At the very least, the goal should be to get above Kentucky (No. 18) and start creeping up on LSU (No. 9). There’s a real feeling that Florida can reclaim the title of DBU over the next few years with former LSU defensive backs coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag] in tow. The recruiting class of 2023 should have a huge impact on the Gators’ future defense ranking.

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Florida picks up crystal ball prediction for this 4-star DL

Billy Napier is this close to getting the IMG Academy pipeline flowing in year one as Florida’s head coach.

Billy Napier recently added another IMG Academy recruit to Florida’s list of 2023 commits in offensive lineman [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] and is looking to continue establishing the pipeline between UF and the Bradenton program. The next Ascender on the Napier’s list is four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Will Norman[/autotag] and the folks at Swamp247 feel strongly enough about the Gators’ chances that they submitted a crystal ball prediction in favor of the Orange and Blue on Thursday.

Blake Alderman submitted the prediction with a confidence level of six out of a possible 10. There’s only one other crystal ball submitted so far and it comes from FSU insider Josh Newberg in support of the Penn State Nittany Lions. Norman named the Gators in his top five along with PSU, LSU, Michigan and Texas A&M at the start of the month and it seems that UF is pulling out in front of this one.

Of those teams that made the recent cut in Norman’s top schools, the Gators have seemed to be pressing the hardest for him. Some intel Swamp247 has received is that another school that has recruited Norman for most of this year feel he is leaning to the Gators. Sources close to the Florida program are also feeling good on where they stand in this recruitment. — Swamp247

The next step for Florida would be to get Norman on campus again, this time on an official visit. Those trips could make the difference for Norman and shake things back up before his planned decision prior to the start of his senior year. That said, Florida’s official visits have almost uniformly impressed recruits since Napier took over, so it should only help to get him into the Swamp. The question is whether or not other programs can impress him more.

The 247Sports composite ranks Norman as the No. 88 overall recruit in the country and the No. 11 defensive lineman in the class of 2023. Adding him and Harris after landing [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] last season would solidify Napier as the bridge between Gainesville and IMG.

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Two more 2022 signees arrive at UF for summer semester

New faces are popping up in Gainesville as the summer semesters begin. Welcome to the Swamp, Trevor Etienne and David Conner!

A trio of early enrollees, [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag], [autotag]Devin Moore[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris McClellan[/autotag], joined the Gators over the spring, but more members of the class of 2022 are making their way to the Swamp. Running back [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] and offensive tackle [autotag]David Conner[/autotag] both arrived on campus on Sunday and are ready to take part in the Summer A semester at Florida, according to 247Sports.

Etienne, a four-star running back out of Louisiana, was one of the rare offensive standouts in the class of 2022 for Florida and has the family name to warrant lofty expectations as a Gator. [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Lorenzo Lingard[/autotag] and [autotag]Demarckus Bowman[/autotag] have held down the running backs room over spring, but now Etienne and a returning [autotag]Nay’Quan Wright[/autotag] enter the mix.

It’ll take Etienne some time to learn the playbook but look for him to contribute early on as he was one of the first players [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] sought out after taking over in Gainesville and the No. 188 overall recruit on the 247Sports composite.

Conner, a three-star tackle out of Deerfield Beach, Florida, is one of the few commitments that stayed with the Gators through the coaching change. Offensive line coaches [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] and [autotag]Darnell Stapleton[/autotag] think his frame and athleticism project well for an offensive tackle in the Southeastern Conference. It’ll likely take a few years of development to see him on the line every day, but Conner is setting himself up for success.

Getting to campus a bit earlier gives Conner more time to get used to his new environment and it sounds like he’ll be rooming with Florida’s running back of the future. Getting a lineman and a running back comfortable with each other early is a good sign for the team’s future chemistry.

The other members of the class of 2022 will arrive around May 22 and get settled in for the summer. The new-look Gators are finally starting to take shape and the Napier era is in full swing with a new crop of talent making their way to campus.

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Florida lands commitment from this big-time 4-star OL

Florida has now landed prospects from IMG Academy in back-to-back recruiting classes.

Florida landed its third recruit in the 2023 recruiting cycle on Saturday when four-star interior offensive lineman [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] committed to the Gators over Alabama, Miami, Oklahoma and Texas A&M. Harris joins head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s bump class along with four-star athlete [autotag]Aaron Gates[/autotag] and three-star wide receiver [autotag]Tyree Patterson[/autotag].

Harris hails from Bradenton, Florida, and plays high school football at nearby IMG Academy. The 247Sports composite rankings have him as the 301st overall player and the 18th best player at his position.

He has made three trips to the Swamp so far in 2022 with all three coming in the last two months. Harris first visited Florida on March 5 and came back on the 26. His most recent visit occurred on April 14 for the program’s Orange and Blue game.

This is a significant recruiting victory for Florida and Napier because first off they are landing prospects from IMG Academy again after a long drought that defensive back [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] broke last cycle. Secondly, the current coaching staff is landing four- and five-star talents after the previous staff struggled to do so.

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Orange and Blue game visit has Nation’s top CB trending toward Florida

It’s not a perfect science, but Gator Nation will be happy to see which program is trending on On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine for Cormani McClain.

Five-star prospect [autotag]Cormani McClain[/autotag], the nation’s top cornerback recruit, might be at the top of every Florida fan’s wishlist when it comes to the class of 2023, and the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) has the Gators on top of his recruitment after a visit to the Swamp for the Orange and Blue game last Thursday.

The Gators sit with a 50.4% chance to land the recruit, according to prediction data compiled by On3. Alabama is the other major player with 41.9% and Georgia is holding on to a 2.4% chance. Florida State, Ohio State and USC are all under 1% at this point.

McClain has been to Florida plenty of times in the past, but this last trip put Florida over the top on the RPM. He’s identified UF and ‘Bama as the two most aggressive players in his recruitment, and his growing relationship with [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s staff could make the difference.

“It was great hanging out and seeing the new view (of the program),” McClain said to Gators Online. “It’s a great coaching staff; shoutout to the coaching staff. It was a great game for sure. Florida, it’s just home; it’s just home. You have to have love for Florida.”

Defensive backs coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag] has developed an especially strong relationship with McClain. Raymond has a reputation for getting his man and has already proven it at Florida with the [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] signing. McClain plans to take officials over the summer and decide as early as June.

He’s the No. 3 overall prospect on the On3 Consensus and the top-ranked corner according to every major service in the college football recruiting game. Florida now has the presumed lead but will need to keep up the pace.

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Defensive backs coach Corey Raymond looking to restore DBU title at Florida

Corey Raymond’s experience is invaluable at a time when Florida desperately needs to turn things around on defense.

The Florida Gators’ defense has been a bit of a disaster over the past couple of years, but [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] is hoping to turn things around after bringing in experienced support staff to coach that side of the ball. One of the more important names on the new staff is cornerbacks coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag].

After 10 years with LSU, Raymond and the Tigers parted ways as Brian Kelly took over and chose not to retain him on the staff. Napier quickly jumped in and got one of the top position coaches in the country on his staff to start recruiting.

The decision paid off almost immediately as five-star safety [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] decided to sign with Florida over a top 4 of Florida State, Georgia, LSU and Texas A&M.

“First time (in Gators colors) was different for me,” Raymond said to Gators Online. ” I went to college (at LSU), I’m from there, but that blue and orange is looking good on me. I’m in Florida. I recruited the state of Florida. It has a lot of talent. We have a chance to do special things here.”

Raymond produced 14 NFL defensive backs while at LSU, including three first-rounders. He knows what it takes to get the best at the college level ready for the pros, and he’s relentless in his efforts to get them there.

“It’s going to take a little time getting used to me, who I am,” he said. “Because I’m hard to get along with out there on the field. It’s demanding. You play a position that’s an easy place to line up, but there’s a lot of little things you have to do to be good at the position.”

Raymond sees plenty of potential in Florida’s current crop of cornerbacks. [autotag]Jason Marshall Jr[/autotag]. has a chance to develop into an elite corner under Raymond’s guidance, and [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Kimber[/autotag] also have the potential to be great once fully returned from injury.

Florida’s new cornerbacks coach not only has the respect of the players but he’s revered by most everyone on the staff. Napier thinks highly of him as both a coach and a person, and he appreciates Raymond’s veteran presence on the side of the ball he’s less involved with.

Co-defensive coordinators [autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag] and [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag] also appreciate having Raymond on the staff. Toney coaches the safeties on the team, but he’s also tasked with calling all of the Gators’ defensive plays. Having Raymond to help with the defensive backs is about as useful a tool as you could ask for.

“He’s like the Yoda of DB coaching,” Spencer said. “This guy has coached everybody. He talks in that room, just so confident. He has so much experience. He’s been around the league. He’s been multiple places.”

The early returns have been good on Napier’s investment in Raymond, but his legacy at UF will ultimately be determined by how his players perform during the season. If Florida is going to claim the title of “DBU” once again, Raymond will be the reason why.

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Billy Napier hoping to have continued success at IMG Academy

Billy Napier already broke the IMG Academy course at Florida, and he’s hoping to land more recruits from the in-state program in the years to come.

Billy Napier’s first big moment as Florida’s head coach came when he landed one of the top safeties in the nation, IMG Academy’s Kamari Wilson, during the early signing period.

Wilson immediately brought star power to the Gators’ 2022 recruiting class, and his signing broke a decade-long IMG Academy curse despite the elite high school program being located in Bradenton. Following the announcement, Napier said that the plan was to keep a relationship with IMG Academy and to bring in more recruits from the in-state gold mine.

Napier took another step in building that relationship this weekend by hosting two of IMG’s top recruits. 2023 four-star defensive lineman Will Norman and Desmond Ricks, the top cornerback in the class of 2024, were unofficial visitors at Florida over the weekend before the dead period begins on Monday.

Norman wants to be committed by the start of his senior year, and he’s not short on offers. Auburn, Florida State, Kentucky, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma and Texas A&M are just a few of the names competing for him, but Norman claims that no one is out in front just yet.

Landing a four-star or five-star recruit from IMG in each of his first three years would be quite the feat for Napier considering Florida’s track record with the school. He’ll have help from Wilson who loves recruiting top tier-talent to play alongside him, especially if they’re from his alma mater.

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