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Florida Football: 247 Talent Composite confirms Gators have a solid roster

By Benjamin Henderson

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 12: Trevor Etienne #7 of the Florida Gators scores a touchdown during the 1st quarter of a game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 12, 2022 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 12: Trevor Etienne #7 of the Florida Gators scores a touchdown during the 1st quarter of a game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 12, 2022 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) /
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Much of the discussion surrounding Florida football is the cleanup job that Billy Napier has had to do in the wake of the dumpster fire left behind by Dan Mullen. Napier has run off a number of Mullen holdovers while bringing in guys who believe in the vision of Napier.

And while not much is expected from the national media in 2023, we would be remised if we went into the season thinking the Gators had a roster nobody could win with.

Florida Football: It’s about the Jimmys and the Joes

The 247 Talent Composite compiles the recruiting star rating that players had coming out of high school and puts together a list of which teams are, on paper, the most talented in the country.

There are obviously a lot of factors that dictate whether a team is successful or not, including whether these highly rated players developed once in college, but it is a starting point for what a reasonable expectation should be for a team given their perceived talent level.

Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, Ohio State, and Clemson make up the top five most talented rosters in 2023 according to 247.

Coming in at 15th in the country, and 5th in the SEC, are the Florida Gators.

There are two ways to look at this ranking.

  1. This ties for the worst roster the Gators have had on paper since 2018.
  2. This roster isn’t so inept that we shouldn’t have some form of expectations for Billy Napier.

Georgia and LSU are the only two teams on Florida’s 2023 schedule that according to 247 have more “talent” on their roster. 

Tennessee is 16th, FSU is 20th, South Carolina is 22nd, Missouri is 24th, Kentucky is 31st, Arkansas is 32nd, Utah is 33rd, Vanderbilt is 57th, Charlotte is 78th, and McNeese State is 195th.

So, while the talent level in Gainesville isn’t good enough yet to compete for the SEC title, and in time this ranking will need to be in the top five, it is not so bad that if Florida football goes 4-8 this season that we shouldn’t have questions about what happened.

This roster is talented enough to go 8-4 or even 9-3.

It’s up to Napier and crew to achieve that potential.

Next. Three takeaways from Florida's depth chart vs Utah. dark

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