Billy Napier shares how Florida landed four-star Kamari Wilson

As the early signing period for the Class of 2022 got underway Wednesday, many college football teams across the country inked multiple big-name recruits – including Florida. Although he hasn’t even coached a game in Gainesville yet, new Gators’ head coach Billy Napier was still able to land a highly-touted prospect in On3 Consensus four-star in-state safety Kamari Wilson.

A Fort Pierce, Florida native who prepped at IMG Academy, Wilson was projected to choose between Florida and Georgia – ultimately deciding to remain close to home and play for the Gators. During his National Signing Day press conference on Wednesday, Napier discussed what type of player Florida was getting in Wilson.

“This is a whole chapter in the book here,” Napier said of Wilson’s signing. “Kamari – first of all – want to compliment Kamari, his family. I think he’s got incredible people around him – his mom and dad, his grandmother, his mentor … just really good people. They’ve raised an exceptional young man who’s got a good foundation and knows right and wrong. He’s certainly talented, I think we all understand that he’s a good football player, but he’s got great charisma, great personality, he’s a leader, he’s got great presence about him and I think he’ll bring a lot to our team.”

As Wilson was a recruit who held a number of offers from top-tier programs, how was Napier able to get him to choose Florida?

“We had an immediate connection,” Napier said. “I think Mark Hocke was with me on the trip, and certainly the relationship with Patrick Toney, Corey Raymond. Corey is a coach he had a relationship with in the past, so that helped. And Jamar Chaney, being from Fort Pierce, had a good relationship with the family and certainly there was a history there. I think Jamar was actually the person who offered Kamari his first scholarship offer. We were actually there at IMG, had a good talk, he said, ‘Hey, coach, I think you need to go see my mom,’ and we made a quick trip over there.

“Next thing I know, I’m standing in a Sam’s talking to Mrs. Wilson and it was really good. So, they agreed to take the visit, we had an incredible weekend and I think Kamari made a life-changing decision. I think this fan base, this alumni group – this is the type of guy you rally around that chose the University of Florida, decided to stay in this state and a guy who I think’s going to go about it the right way and represent this place the way it should be represented.”

Four-star safety Kamari Wilson picks Florida over Georgia

Fort Pierce (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star safety Kamari Wilson has elected to go to Florida over favorites Georgia, making the decision Wednesday during National Signing Day.

Wilson is the No. 35 prospect in the 2022 class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

He announced the decision on ESPN2.

“Coach Billy [Napier], he’s definitely turning that program around,” Wilson said on television. “I got trust in his process and his plan.”

Wilson was originally going to decide between LSU, Georgia, Texas A&M and Florida State, but the Gators came in at the last minute to secure the signing.