UF's Billy Napier shares his thoughts on top recruits reclassifying
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A growing trend in college football recruiting has been the reclassification of top prospects so they can start school a year early, skipping their senior season of high school.
The Gators have a player on their roster who made this jump in safety Kamar Wilcoxson, originally a 2021 commit who reclassified and joined the team before the 2020 season.
UF coach Billy Napier was asked Monday to share his thoughts on recruits reclassifying.
“It’s hard to believe that that’s the case, but I think there is a handful of players out there that are capable,” Napier said.
One of them is five-star prospect Desmond Ricks, who was the top cornerback in the 2024 class. Ricks announced Saturday he will reclassify to 2023 and was reranked as the nation’s No. 2 corner behind Cormani McClain.
Ricks visited Florida for the LSU game and gave the trip high remarks. UF is one of his top schools along with Alabama, LSU, Miami and others.
The reclassification trend gained steam in recent years after multiple high school quarterbacks made the move. For Napier, who was a standout QB at Murray County High School and Furman University, he needed extra time before playing in college.
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“I think about reclassifying the other way. I weighed 92 pounds; I’m getting ready to be a ninth-grader,” Napier recalled. “My dad said, ‘Hey, you’re going to have to stay back, big guy.’
“So, grew six inches and gained 50 pounds that year. I wouldn’t have played college football if I didn’t do it. We live in a world now where they’re trying to go forward. I needed to go backwards.”
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