How can Billy Napier and the Gators compete in a game with no rules?

ORLANDO — Billy Napier is just five months into his tenure with the Florida Gators. His focus has been on recruiting, then spring camp. Now?

“Name, image, and likeness. Just to be transparent,” Napier said Wednesday when asked by Gators Online at his spring speaking engagement in Orlando. “That’s the only part of our plan that I think we have to continue to evolve there. And compete in a game that doesn’t have a set of rules right now.”

The Florida Gators were one of the first universities to have a group come together to support NIL legislation. The Gator Collective was born to help UF athletes take advantage of the new rules.

What happens when there aren’t rules or different sets of rules depending on what state your school is in? If nobody is enforcing the rules, how do you compete with others who are openly abusing NIL and flaunting it?

The Florida Gators and the Gator Collective are determined to do everything above board. NIL is not supposed to be used as a means to gain a commitment from a prospect — either in high school or the transfer portal.

Is that the case?

Former lawyer turned billionaire entrepreneur John Ruiz is a lifelong Miami fan and he’s putting his money out there. Blatantly. Is it cheating? Can you cheat if nobody is going to enforce the rules that are set in place?

At the end of the day, his money is helping change the lives of young student-athletes. It should also help Miami sports compete. So, to him, a win-win.

“They work for it. They’re not just getting money,” Ruiz said in an interview with Cane Sport.

This week Ruiz’s made waves. He announced a two-year, $800,000 dollar deal that came with a car for Kansas State basketball transfer Nijel Pack. Ruiz also helped the Canes land Sun Belt Player of the Year Norchad Omier and twin transfer guards Haley and Hanna Cavinder, who have four million TikTok followers and an estimated $1 million in NIL sponsorship deals.

His NIL efforts hit home in Gainesville when Maryland defensive tackle transfer Darrell Jackson canceled a visit to the Gators and committed to Miami. Ruiz celebrated the news on Twitter as Jackson tagged Life Wallet in his commitment tweet.

Now fans wonder, were the Gators simply outbid?

It’s not just for recruiting

NIL was really created to allow student-athletes at the college level to benefit from their own name. It has clearly bled into recruiting, though the main goal was for the college athlete. We’re seeing that change the way rosters are built and, even to a greater extent, keeping your roster together.

“As a competitor, you’re looking for parameters, guidelines, what are the rules of engagement? We’re really living in a world here where we have a free agency with no salary cap,” Napier said. “No manual. No rule book and a lack of leadership and legislation. We’re all in an adjustment phase here. There’s no question about that.” 

The Gator Collective has helped the Gators keep its roster together. Just this week the GC signed Anthony Richardson, Ventrell Miller, Brenton Cox Jr., and Gervon Dexter to new NIL contracts. Where did that new money come from?

The Gator Guard makes a huge impact

Just a week after making a $12.6 million dollar donation to Gators Boosters, Hugh Hathcock wanted to do more with NIL. He started the Gator Guard, a group of wealthy businessmen that has already invested north of $5 million dollars strictly towards NIL.

Hathcock’s effort has already made an immediate impact with the signings of the top Gators on their 2022 roster. He loves Florida and his money directly affected keeping those four players in Gainesville for another season.

Napier is right. The direction that college football is heading surely does seem like free agency without a salary cap. The University of Florida was one of the early adopters and innovators, they were getting lapped by other schools.

Hathcock, the Gator Guard and the Gator Collective are aiming to change that and have in just a few short days.