What will make 2023 a successful season for Billy Napier, Florida

The Florida Gators are ramping up for their second season under head coach Billy Napier. The Gators finished the season 6-7 last year, winning just three games in conference play. And according to On3’s JD PicKell, the Gators’ main focus should just be improving upon the foundation they laid last season.

“For Florida in 2023, you are not expecting them to win the SEC East. I hate to say that, but that’s kind of the world we’re living in right now,” PicKell said. “The over/under this coming season in Vegas is 5.5 wins for the Gators, it’s not about winning the SEC East or winning the SEC. This season for Florida it’s about trajectory, it’s about can we win seven games, can we have improvement from a season ago, and then what do you do with that trajectory? You take it, bottle it up, you put it on the recruiting trail, and you go and get some dudes that are going to stock the cupboard for you for years to come for Billy Napier at Florida.”

Naturally, every team in the competitive SEC is looking to hold up a conference championship trophy at the end of the season. But for Florida, maybe that shouldn’t be the barometer for a successful season in 2023. PicKell believes improvement is the key, and that a better season this year compared to last could play a major factor in how Florida’s roster could potentially look in the future.

“It’s about the future. Because you go from winning six games last year to any kind of improvement in 2023, then you can sell the direction of the program. Hey our second year head coach, we’re starting to trend the right way, come be a part of this,” PicKell said in his mock recruiting pitch. “Because if you take a step back and you win five games, well then it’s ‘hey come be a part of the change, come help us turn this thing around,’ and that’s a lot less fun thing to pitch to recruits than ‘hey you see the way this thing is going? Won seven games last year, won eight games last year.’ If we can do that then we can start talking about winning the SEC down the line. Then we can start about showing up and getting to Atlanta, then that conversation gets into play.”

Florida has already impressed in the recruiting space under Napier, and just a sight improvement on the field this upcoming season could take their 2024 class to new heights. And it would definitely help the recruiting pitch that their current top commit has already been laying on other top prospects.

“Because right now, time of us recording this, they have the No. 4 class in the 2024 cycle in the On3 Industry Rankings. DJ Lagway? Recruiting his tail off, we sat down with him at the On3 NIL Elite Series event. Talked some ball with him and just asked him hey listen man who are you after here at the On3 NIL Elite Series event? Who else are you trying to recruit that’s here?” PicKell asked. “And he was like everyone man, I’m after everyone here. He’s working his tail off to get the top guys to come to Gainesville. You can have something on the field that helps support that recruiting pitch, that’s when Florida can really get this thing rolling.”