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Florida football: Billy Napier is going to be the best recruiter in the SEC

By Will Thomas

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 05: Head Coach Billy Napier of the Florida Gators speaks during a press conference introducing him to the Media at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on December 05, 2021 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 05: Head Coach Billy Napier of the Florida Gators speaks during a press conference introducing him to the Media at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on December 05, 2021 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) /
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Florida football has been down the past few years, which is no secret. Outside of the 2020 COVID season, the on-field product has been underwhelming, and the recruiting game has been frustrating.

Billy Napier is coming in and changing that. Last year he stole 5-star Kamari Wilson from Georgia before coaching a game. Then he took Jaden Rashada away from Miami amidst a year with inconsistent QB play. Yesterday, he nabbed 5-star QB DJ Lagway away from Lincoln Riley and USC after a 6-6 season.

He took Dijon Johnson from Ohio State. He flipped Roderick Kearney from FSU. He broke the “IMG Curse” that plagued the Gators for years.

Billy Napier has already made some serious noise on the recruiting trail, and he’s just getting started.

Florida football: Re-establishing UF as a powerhouse

When Napier came to Gainesville, he made it clear that he had a deliberate plan to bring Florida back to national prominence. He described college football as a “talent acquisition business” in his opening press conference, setting himself up as a great recruiter.

He finally did a good job with Friday Night Lights, UF’s premier recruiting event. And he’s starting to get the Gators in play for the nation’s best players.

One of the most underrated qualities of Napier’s recruiting ability is how well he’s able to sell players on his vision, which in turn makes them recruiters as well.

A great example is that Knijeah Harris, an OL commit from IMG, is chewing his teammate Desmond Ricks’ ear off about coming to Gainesville with him. DJ Lagway also started trying to convince Ricks to put on the Orange and Blue after his commitment yesterday.

Earlier today, it was announced that 5-star OL Samson Okunlola was stopping by for a visit on December 10th. Lagway committed, and now Samson is set to announce his commitment on December 15th, just a few days after his visit ends.

Napier is pushing all the right buttons, and with the Gator Collective and Gator Guard behind him, Florida recruiting is fun again.

Move over Kirby Smart and Nick Saban, there’s a new ball coach in town. And he’s going to start taking all your players.

Keep up with Florida football at Hail Florida Hail.

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