Recruiting expert praises Billy Napier’s job off the field at Florida, while highlighting impressive cupboard next Gators HC will have

The Gators remain in great shape, they just need a captain to right the ship.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Oct 18, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators running back Jadan Baugh (13) and Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) wait on the field after a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
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It wasn’t a great tenure for Billy Napier as the head coach of the Florida Gators.

There are multiple different elements to discuss with his tenure, but it all boils down to one very simple element: Napier didn’t win on Saturdays. His record of 22-23 was abysmal, plus going 0-14 on the road against ranked opponents. That is not going to fly in Gainesville.

Recruiting expert lauds Billy Napier’s talent acquisition

Despite the poor performances on Saturdays, Napier did a really good job of building back up the infrastructure of the program. National Recruiting expert Andrew Irvins of 247 Sports had multiple elements of praise for Napier’s recruiting during an appearance on the Cover 3 Podcast.

“I don’t think this roster is pretty turnkey for whoever steps in. Napier is not leaving the cupboard bare at all,” said Irvins. “The Mississippi State game this past weekend, I mean, Florida had two true freshman corners played over 50 snaps, and that was due to injury. But I think the defensive side of the ball, they’ve recruited the high school ranks so well. And I’m I’ve long looked at the two deep, and I’ve been like, like that guy coming out of high school, like that guy coming out of high school, you know, at some point they’re going to have all these guys that are SEC caliber with NFL potential on defense.

“Then you flip it over to offense, obviously DJ Lagway, the quarterback everyone’s in love with, Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown III and then Jaden Baugh. Now, they’re going to lose some starters up front on the offensive line. But again, Billy Napier invested in that unit that had two position coaches at one point; it was like five plus one equals one when it came to the offensive lineman. So you know, they’re going to lose Jake Slaughter. They’re gonna lose Austin Barber. Two guys that were preseason, all-SEC type players, but Knijeah Harris comes back. Hayden Jones comes back. Bottom line, this roster is in a really, really good spot. A lot of people are pointing to recruiting as being the issue. I don’t necessarily see it that way.”

Irvins mentioning that the recruiting hasn’t been the issue in his eyes is an interesting take. If you were to talk to the fanbase, they would have a much different opinion. Now, it’s obvious that they have a good amount of talent on the roster. However,

It’s a big deal that the new coach is going to walk into Gainesville with a full cupboard, because it will allow them to compete from day one. It’s also a big deal that we haven’t seen a single player enter the transfer portal yet, which is a tip of the cap to the culture Napier built.

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