Florida football: Biggest regrets from the 2023 recruiting cycle

Nov 19, 2022; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier walks the sideline before the game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 19, 2022; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier walks the sideline before the game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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Florida football had a great 2023 recruiting cycle and brought in some elite talent. Their class ended up ranked 13th in the country according to 247 Sports, and 6th in the SEC.

They had a great class average of 91.03, which was better than two teams in the top ten of the national rankings.

The strength of this class is their d-line and wide receivers. Billy Napier pulled in five top-50 d-lineman, and their top-rated commit is Kelby Collins, who’s 42nd in the nation and the 5th-best DL.

Their wideout haul is full of blazing speed and elite route running. Aidan Mizell, Eugene Wilson III, and Andy Jean are already showing tons of promise during workouts. Andy Jean is up to 200 pounds from 180 as a recruit and was clocked at 22.5 mph last week.

With all of these positives, however, come some negatives as well. Like every school, the Gators missed out on a few priority recruits that they should have landed, and missed a couple of opportunities to enhance their haul.

The first one that jumps out is Jaden Rashada, but we don’t need to talk about that any more than we already have.

In Napier’s first full recruiting cycle, he had to face a lot of new issues, especially in the NIL world. He navigated it very well with the class he brought in, but it wasn’t without its challenges.

Here are three things that the Gators regret from the 2023 cycle.