Florida's recruiting success compares to a compass

Florida football fans have experienced a rough few years in their program’s history recently, with their team struggling to make the postseason. Currently, they are in year two of head coach Billy Naiper’s tenure, who went 6-6 last year.

Some fans don’t know what to think of the Gators’ headman’s job so far or where he’s leading the program. However, On3’s J.D. PicKell believes there is one thing you can look to, like a compass, to see where Napier is leading the program.

“If I’m a Florida Gator fan, I’m looking at this on the recruiting trail, and I’m using this momentum that I’m seeing as a compass,” said PicKell. “Now, a compass, it doesn’t tell you when you’ve arrived anywhere. But a compass does tell you that you’re headed the right direction. And that’s what I think you have to say about this right now.

“Does it mean that you’re gonna win the SEC next year? Does it mean Billy Napier is the guy for Florida to get back to the mountaintop of college football? I don’t know. But I know it’s a step in the right direction. I know it’s a much better spot right now than where you were previously under Dan Mullen.”

Under Mullen, Florida primarily focused their recruiting attention on the southeastern zone of the United States. But they still lost some top-end talents from their home state to other programs nationwide despite their focus in that region. However, Napier has expanded the Gators’ recruiting pipeline and consistently laid down roots in the state of Texas as well. The way that Napier is prioritizing recruiting has Florida currently with the third-best recruiting class in 2024 and steadily rising.

“You have a coach who is prioritizing recruiting. And also, it tells me that the structure they have in place right now in Gainesville is working. It’s closing the deal, whether it be the official visit structure, it’s the messaging, it’s the alignment with the staff. However you want to piece this together, what they have going right now is a good thing, and it’s a step in the right direction in Gainesville. For Florida, that was one of the frustrations you had with Dan Mullen. He wasn’t prioritizing recruiting. You weren’t recruiting at the level you expected; the level that you’re capable of with that brand at Florida.”

Knowing exactly where Florida will end up under Napier, it’s hard to tell. But what is not is the exceptional job he has done at recruiting thus far in his tenure there. As the college football expert pointed out later, you need the talent to win in college football, and Napier is bringing it in by the truckload with his recruiting of high school players. PicKell see the vision:

“It’s headed the right direction. Like I said at the top of this whole thing: talent doesn’t just automatically equate to wins, but you can’t win without talent.”