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Florida Gators: Looks like Billy Napier finally got Friday Night Lights right

By Will Thomas

TAMPA, FL - MARCH 19: Albert, the mascot for the Florida Gators, performs against the UCLA Bruins during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at St. Pete Times Forum on March 19, 2011 in Tampa, Florida. Florida won 73-65. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - MARCH 19: Albert, the mascot for the Florida Gators, performs against the UCLA Bruins during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at St. Pete Times Forum on March 19, 2011 in Tampa, Florida. Florida won 73-65. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images) /
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Yesterday, the Florida Gators held their annual Friday Night Lights event, where they hosted a boatload of recruits to both compete and visit the campus. In years past, this has been a “fun” event which gave recruits a better platform to showcase their talent in front of coaches and get exposure.

This year felt different. Napier and his army of recruiters were out in full force, helping the players feel comfortable, and giving them that same platform to compete.

If 5 star QB DJ Lagway is any indication…

https://twitter.com/DerekLagway/status/1553177583021445121?s=20&t=yUKriKUqGUJKOGS_Es0YrA

…it looks like Billy Napier got Friday Night Lights right.

Is this event really that big of a deal?

Yes. 100%.

FNL is one of the biggest recruiting events in the entire country, so making a good impression on all the visitors gives UF a huge advantage on the trail.

Ever since Napier got to campus, it seems like the importance of “the little things” has been amplified, and that was even more obvious last night.

When prospects were checking in to the event, there were headshots of every coach and assistant, making it easy for the players to put a name to a face. This may seem insignificant to some, but for a high school prospect coming to a camp this size, knowing the coaches by name makes them feel much more at home.

Napier, along with the rest of the staff, also made sure to greet every prospect as they showed up. Nobody was more important than anybody else. If that isn’t an indicator of the culture that Napier is building, then I don’t know what is.

The army that Billy built was invaluable last night.

How much will this help recruiting?

If the event was as successful as everyone is saying it was, this is going to skyrocket UF’s recruiting rank. They’ve already climbed 9 spots from Thursday leading up to the event, with a few more targets hopefully joining the class this weekend.

FNL not only solidifies current commits and leans, but can sway guys who may have been favoring a different school before the event.

It’s also important to realize how many recruits in the class of ’24 and ’25 were in attendance. Building relationships early in a prospect’s process is critical to landing his signature later, and the coaches did a great job of that.

He still hasn’t coached a game, but Napier just keeps on proving to the country that he’s the right guy for the Gators.

And I can’t wait to see where he goes from here.

Keep up with the Florida Gators here.

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