We wrote yesterday about how Billy Napier claims to be methodical when it comes to assembling talent for Florida Football, but time and time again, he gets burned way too often.
But in defense of Napier, sometimes his due diligence pays off to avoid potential problems, and a former five-star receiver the Gators were going after before deciding to pass has already parted ways with the team he eventually went to.
Florida Football: Cooked
Johntay Cook was a hot topic of conversation throughout December. He was a five-star wide receiver in the class of 2023 and made his way to Texas.
Cook made 16 catches over two seasons before he parted ways with the Longhorns.
Florida was pursuing Cook in the transfer portal and, at one point, had predictions logged in their favor to land him. Washington was in pursuit too, and had a better pathway for playing time than Florida.
We had noted in a piece back in December when it looked like Cook might wind up in Gainesville that it still felt unlikely for him to crack the top rotation. At the time, we said:
"He's a former five-star who hasn't seen the field much at Texas and got buried behind a host of transfers the Longhorns brought in this season.
Assuming he winds up at Florida, he also feels like one of the biggest wildcards in the group. Unlike Sturdivant, there isn't a ton of flash on film since he has arrived in college."
Cook eventually signed with Washington. One of the other potential reasons he didn't come to Gainesville is because Napier backed away. Cook had a string of social media posts that raised eyebrows, and in the end, it just wasn't a good fit.
According to Dawgman247, Cook's stay in Seattle lasted about 48 hours as Washington opted to part ways with the only wide receiver they signed in the transfer portal.