Florida coach Billy Napier logged many miles on the recruiting trail to reach one of college football’s destination jobs.
Napier has no plans to rest.
The indefatigable 42-year-old will be involved in every aspect of a relentless pursuit of impact players as the Gators restock and rebuild after four years of hit-or-miss recruiting under Dan Mullen.
“He will be as present in the process as any head coach in the country,” Steve Wiltfong, director of recruiting 247Sports, told The Orlando Sentinel. “I feel good about Florida from a recruiting standpoint with Billy Napier in the corner office.”
Yet, Napier’s vision will emerge over time rather than with a flourish.
Wednesday’s National Signing Day arrives on the heels of an exodus of veteran players and one-time commitments, hand-wringing among fans, but also a message from the Gators’ new coach.
“We’re going to be very patient,” Napier said during his Nov. 28 introductory press conference. “I know everybody wants to pedal to the metal here and go a hundred miles an hour. But it’s the most important thing that we do.”
Mullen too often emphasized player development and game planning at the expense of recruiting. Over time, a talent gap formed along both lines of scrimmage, neutered a once-vaunted secondary and undercut depth in several position groups.
While the transfer portal offered temporary relief it was not a cure-all.
“Dan Mullen and his staff were fine recruiters, but they weren’t one, two, three, four, five in the country,” Adam Gorney, national director of recruiting for Rivals.com, told the Sentinel. “That’s what’s needed when you’re going up again Kirby Smart ... when you’re recruiting against Nick Saban. It is my personal opinion he felt he could call plays and design to outsmart people.
“He just didn’t have the players to execute that.”
When introduced last month, Napier laid out a long-range recruiting plan based on a track record of success.
Napier’s rise up the ranks coincided with luring top talent to Clemson and later Alabama, where ESPN named him the nation’s No. 1 recruiter in 2014. Napier signed quarterback Tajh Boyd and linebacker Victor Beasley for the Tigers and landed the Crimson Tide offensive tackle Cam Robinson, along with receivers Calvin Ridley and Jerry Jeudy.
Napier’s approach as a head coach at Louisiana remained rooted in process of identifying, evaluating and pursuing players as he built the Ragin’ Cajuns into a top-25 program. In Gainesville, his fingerprints will be found in every corner of the recruiting operation.
“He takes no shortcuts on the recruiting trail,” Wiltfong said. “He’s going to be authentic with top targets; he’s going to be involved putting together Florida’s recruiting board; and he’s going to involved making sure Florida’s infrastructure is in the best spot.”
Yet, the Gators enter Signing Day facing an uphill climb.
Leading tackler Mohamoud Diabate and leading receiver Jacob Copeland entered the transfer portal last week. Meanwhile, several top recruits backed out of their commitments, leaving the Gators with just seven in a 2022 class rated 78th nationally and last in the 14-team SEC.
Some change of hearts could hurt more than others. Georgia athlete Isaiah Bond, a top-100 prospect, is bound for Alabama. Top Orlando area receivers Chandler Smith and Jayden Gibson could land at Georgia and Oklahoma, respectively. After bailing on Florida, Texas quarterback Nick Evers committed to OU.
“A lot of those guys are very talented players,” Gorney said. “For one reason or another [Napier] didn’t want the same kind of guys. It’s certainly a gamble. Usually when a coach comes in this late right before SD he kind of just swallows that recruiting class and moves on to the next year.”
Wiltfong appreciates Napier’s unrushed approach based on past results, as well as the recent hire of Corey Raymond away from SEC West rival LSU. The 53-year-old recruited and coached some of the nation’s top defensive backs for the Tigers.
“He was a pillar at LSU,” Wiltfong said. “You hired a good coach and hired an electric recruiter and you took him away from a school that is capable at winning at your level.”
Napier and the Gators find themselves playing catch-up but not in a rush, either.
Once Napier’s recruiting blueprint is in place — aided by a 140,000-square foot standalone facility set to open in the spring — Wiltfong is confident talent will flow into Gainesville.
“The thing that stands out to me most about Coach Napier, talking to his peers and talking to people who worked with him, is how organized he is,” Wiltfong said. “People who have the most organized recruiting departments are the ones that have the most success.
“The guys that Florida signs will be guys they vetted, they evaluated thoroughly and got to know from the top down.”
Time is on Napier’s side as he begins rebuilding the Gators. But in the SEC it can run out quickly.
“Three years is pretty much the window,” Gorney said. “It’s certainly believable this could work. Billy Napier is a good coach and a phenomenal recruiter. But I think the timeline needs to be a little quicker than even he would like.”
