Paul Finebaum explains why he still doesn't feel great about Florida after SEC media days

Florida didn’t impress Paul Finebaum during SEC Media Days. Despite some wins off the field, Finebaum wants to wait for any potential success on the field to change his tune.

Billy Napier and Florida did quite well on the recruiting trail in recent weeks, giving promise for the future. But after a 6-7 season in Year 1, some might be impatient. 

Perhaps Finebaum isn’t in that group, but he’s not letting Napier’s process drag out for too long.

“I still think Florida is an enigma Cole,” Finebaum said on McElroy and Cubelic. “And what do we know about Florida other than a disastrous first season? We know that in the last six or eight weeks Billy Napier is killing it on the recruiting trail. Okay. If you’re sitting over there where Florida is, and you’re doing anything other than killing it on the recruiting trail, you’re in big trouble. But ultimately is he moving ahead of Georgia?

“I haven’t seen that. I mean, they’re moving up the charts but to win the SEC, you need more than a big recruiting class, you need a lot. So I didn’t come away feeling great about Florida.”

Napier doubled down on the recruiting success despite the uneven 2022 season.

“I think that ultimately, young people, they go through their own recruiting process,” Napier told On3’s Andy Staples. “They go visit these other institutions. They see the place. They see the resources. They understand the degree, the alumni network, experiences that we can create through GatorMade. Equipping them, educating them, and then you know, our football plan is proven.

“It works. So, I think we’ve got a unique combination of things that we offer. That we completely rebuilt the player experience. Our administration has been phenomenal.”

Napier reeled in the nation’s No. 13 overall recruiting class in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus Rankings. He did that despite the Gators posting a 6-7 overall record, finishing off their season with a 30-3 rout they suffered at the hands of the Oregon State Beavers.

Florida hired Napier to clean up the sour end to the Dan Mullen era. While Napier appears to be, potentially, the right guy, he needs to prove it on the field.

And it won’t be easy in the SEC East. Georgia is the two-time defending national champion and Tennessee is a popular pick to possibly unseat the Bulldogs in the division.

Where do Florida and Napier fit in the equation? It remains to be seen.