Billy Napier reveals plan of attack for Florida's quarterback recruiting

The Gators have signed only one quarterback in the first two recruiting classes under Billy Napier, leaving question marks about Florida‘s quarterback recruiting going forward.

The 2023 class was supposed to fix that glaring hole with the commitment of Jaden Rashada, but after signing with Florida, Rashada pulled the plug and got out of his national letter of intent.

So in two years Max Brown is the only prospect Florida has signed out of high school.

“We definitely will be in the market in the spring,” Napier said. “If there presents an opportunity, there’s a player that passes evaluation, we certainly would be in the market for another player there.”

Florida has already liberally supplemented its quarterback room with additions from the NCAA transfer portal.

Prior to the 2022 season, Napier snagged Ohio State quarterback transfer Jack Miller. Miller dealt with a thumb injury that severely limited his 2022 campaign, even though he started in the team’s bowl game.

The Gators also snagged Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz out of the NCAA transfer portal in the winter period. He is expected to compete for the starting job next fall.

But at some point will Florida need to sign and develop a quarterback?

Brown is viewed as a bit of a long-term project, ranking outside the top 1000 recruits nationally in the 2022 class.

It sure looks like Napier and company will be aggressive in scouring the portal for another addition to the room before the 2023 season begins, but recruiting and landing a talented high school prospect has to be a major priority for Florida in 2024.

The good news?

Florida currently boasts a pledge from four-star quarterback DJ Lagway, who is rated as the No. 3 quarterback in the class and the No. 21 overall player in the nation. So Florida’s quarterback recruiting might just be a piecemeal job until he arrives.