Three thoughts on Billy Napier, Florida's 48-hour recruiting heater, what it means for Mike Norvell, FSU
How would you describe the recruiting reverberations out of Gainesville in the last 48 hours?
An avalanche? A cascade? How about a deluge considering all the rain we’ve had of late?
For Florida football fans, fun probably suffices just fine.
But it certainly didn’t start out that way.
On Saturday, 2025 Gators quarterback commit Austin Simmons reclassified, then flipped to Ole Miss. His dad made some very peculiar comments and Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin promptly trolled Napier and the Gators, tweeting out how he was enjoying some Tom Petty music.
From Petty to ‘Free Fallin’ it was a classic Kiffin taunt, only Florida didn’t exactly back down.
In a span of 12 hours, UF responded with furry of 4-star commitments — four in total, all Top 250 prospects.
The Gators jumped 10 spots in the 2024 On3 Team Rankings, now holding a class that sits at No. 3 overall in the country after a pair of additional commits Monday.
So what to make of a wild 48 hour-heater Napier and the Gators? Here are three thoughts:
1. THIS IS EXACTLY THE TYPE OF WEEKEND FLORIDA NEEDED
For two years now, recruiting has been a bit of a yo-yo for Billy Napier & Co. It’s run hot and cold.
Their 2024 class had gotten off to a solid start, but after a recent stretch where some early summer momentum seemed to stagnate, the Gators needed some good news.
Then 4-star tailback Chauncey Bowens flipped to Georgia, and some started to panic again.
Well, Billy Napier did his best Aaron Rodgers impression this weekend.
Relax.
On Saturday, the Gators added 4-star linebacker Aaron Chiles, beating out Michigan for the nation’s No. 109 prospect. They landed a blue-chip tight end with an excellent offer sheet (Amir Jackson) and a 300-pound 4-star defensive lineman (Nasir Johnson) — both of whom are from Georgia. North Carolina edge rusher Amaris Williams, whose junior stats (44 tackles for loss and 18 sacks) would be hard to replicate even in NCAA 14, rounded out the group.
On Monday, Florida got a public commitment from Peach State defensive tackle Michai Boireau, a 370-pound bear of a prospect, and Georgia offensive tackle Marcus Mascoll, a 4-star kid from Atlanta who chose UF over LSU.
In 48 hours, the Gators landed six big, explosive, dynamic commitments for a program that needs more athleticism and beef. That’s six recruiting wins — over programs like Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee, LSU, Georgia and Florida State. Napier can point at and say, “I know how to do this. I’m going to get guys.”
The Gators aren’t going to win every battle. That’s not how recruiting works. But they need to be positioned to be in the mix with as many blue-chip prospects as possible, and that’s what Napier and his staff are doing.
Florida also reportedly made moves with fellow 4-stars like Mississippi outside linebacker Jamonta Waller and Louisiana corner Wardell Mack, a Top-100 recruit, among others. They’re looking to flip 4-star wideout Tawaski Abrams, a FSU commit, and they’re trending for 3-star Sarasota corner Teddy Foster.
This is Napier’s plan in action. The fastest way to rebuild the Gators back into a title contender is to recruit like one. And considering the 2023 season looks like it could be an uphill battle on the field, the more wins Napier can stack on the recruiting trail, the more patience he’ll build with an angsty fan base.
2. GOING NATIONAL
Did you notice a theme in Florida’s cascade of commitments and moves?
There was hardly any Sunshine State flavor. For the long-term, that’s an unsustainable strategy, but Napier and his staff deserve credit for pivoting this cycle and making inroads with recruits across the country.
Just this weekend, they grabbed guys from the DMV, Georgia and Charlotte — all recruiting hotbeds where establishing a future pipeline is important. They also made moves with prospects from Mississippi and Louisiana.
The best player in Florida’s class is 5-star quarterback DJ Lagway from Texas. Only two of UF’s 15 commits are from Florida — and just one recruit ranked in the Top 25 of the state.
Again, Florida must start recruiting better in its own backyard. In 2023, the Gators signed 11 blue-chip prospects from the state, which is good until you juxtapose that with rival Georgia inking eight of the Top 25 players from Florida..
Still, for whatever reason, UF doesn’t seem to have a ton of momentum with in-state prospects this cycle, but rather than try to swim upstream, Napier has the Gators simply exploring other avenues to talent.
A year ago, Florida’s average distance per commit was just over 200 miles, per On3. This cycle it’s 700 miles.
Despite a pair of down seasons, the Gators remain a national brand, and they’re using that to their advantage in the 2023 class.
3. TIME FOR MIKE NORVELL, FSU TO KICK IT INTO HIGH GEAR
For a brief moment Saturday morning, Florida State fans were having fun at Florida’s expense, but the Austin Simmons buzz didn’t last long.
The Gators exited the weekend with a flurry of juice, and have continued the good vibes into Monday. Meanwhile, the Seminoles sit at the same spot they have for two months now.
FSU hosted corner Charles Lester over the weekend, and they’re one of the favorites for the 5-star standout. They’re in the mix for several other top prospects in the Sunshine State, too. But they haven’t landed a commitment since the middle of April.
Flipping 5-star tight end Landen Thomas from Georgia feels like a long time ago, because it was. Mike Norvell has done an excellent job slowly rebuilding FSU’s roster through the transfer portal over the last three years, but the focus this cycle was to become more aggressive in targeting prep prospects.
The ‘Noles started hot but they have had a ton of traction this summer.
That needs to change. Mike Norvell must capitalize on his program’s on-the-field momentum into recruiting wins.
FSU wasn’t in the mix for many of the prospects Florida landed in the last 48 hours, but it’s still a discouraging sign that the Seminoles’ in-state rival — one coming off two straight losing seasons — continues to outpace them in recruiting. Florida nearly has as many 4-star commits (10) as FSU has commitments total (11) for 2023.
Florida State hasn’t signed a Top 10 recruiting class since 2017, and the only way Norvell is going to sustain success with the Seminoles is to start landing some elite recruiting classes.