Billy Napier’s firing continues to have ripple effects with Florida Gators recruiting, and it’s a little concerning
We knew this was coming once the Gators chose to move on from Billy Napier.
The Florida Gators made the necessary decision to move on from head coach Billy Napier on Sunday afternoon, but it didn’t come without consequences. Interim head coach Billy Gonzales has a tall task to keep the ship afloat.
We’ve already seen multiple commits take visits to other schools, with four-star offensive tackle Tyler Chukuyem (North Carolina) and four-star edge rusher KJ Ford (USC) set to take them in the coming weeks.
Florida Gators losing ground with elite QB Elijah Haven
This summer, the Gators received multiple predictions to land five-star quarterback Elijah Haven. He visited The Swamp when the Gators beat the Texas Longhorns, and the visit was excellent.
“We have been fortunate to catch some amazing college football,” Kwame Haven, Elijah’s father, told Rivals after being in town for the win vs. Texas. “Elijah had a great time. The Swamp was a rockin’! That was our first time visiting for a game, and Gainesville had a great aura. Elijah has developed a great relationship with staff, and it was good to see they are still able to reach the team through all of the adversity they’ve been through. That’s a great sign that they are able to get the players to tune out the noise and focus … The right fit is important to Elijah, and they made it very clear that he would not only be a priority, but that he would be taken care of like family.”
Unfortunately, Napier’s firing has hindered recruiting. Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong and Sam Spiegelman flipped their predictions to the Alabama Crimson Tide.
It shouldn’t come as a big surprise that the Gators lost some momentum. However, Gators Online’s Corey Bender and Keith Niebuhr still predict Haven to go to the Gators, but that could change over the next few weeks.
The good news for the Gators is that Haven is a recruit in the class of 2027, and they will have plenty of time to make a move to keep the momentum with him going to Gainesville.
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