The state of Florida football recruiting

[Mark Wheeler]

I originally posted this back in January, but I feel like I need to pushpin this and keep it at the top of the site.

Don't get too caught up in anything happening in the world of recruiting at this time.

Nothing that happens right now matters until we see how the season goes.

Junior Day to kick off unique 2025 recruiting cycle

Florida will hold their first Jr. Day of the 2025 cycle on Saturday hoping that it will start wiping away the bad taste left by their disappointing finish to the 2024 cycle. I've covered Florida recruiting since the Steve Spurrier era, and this will be the most unique cycle in my coverage...

insidethegators.com

 

[GatorDMD]

Excuses.

 

[TJWarren]

Excuses.

If its "excuses" then what is the reason?

 

[utspartan]

If its "excuses" then what is the reason?

People who casually just watch this recruiting game, dont listen to insiders, dont watch the podcasts, dont listen to recruits commenting on this when they have zero clue about jack.

Toxic Gator fans...who expect us to land six 5🌟 recruits a season and get pissy when we dont.

We are not UGA, we are not BAMA, hell right now we are not even Texas and most of the issues with this program is staring them back in the mirror everyday...

They will support the program with a tshirt but refuse to contribute a dime to FV or become a booster. But complain when we dont get a big recruit

 

[Napier's Army]

With how things are going who is going to be left to sign?

Not many recruits are going to wait around to see how we play.

 

[Mark Wheeler]

This played out pretty much as I expected. UF struggled in recruiting during the season because they were struggling on the field. Then it picked up at the end when UF won the last four games of the season.

This isn't over.

Yes, thanks to that four-game winning streak UF has momentum going into the offseason. However, until he puts together a top end season, 10 wins, maybe you could say nine if the losses aren't terrible, Napier will still be seen as somewhat being on a warm seat, a loss or two away from the fanbase turning on him again.

His overall record to date is what is determining that. Kids want to see wins on the field. That is what matters most.

 

[drumlin]

This played out pretty much as I expected. UF struggled in recruiting during the season because they were struggling on the field. Then it picked up at the end when UF won the last four games of the season.

Was it the wins or the public support he received from Stricklin confirming Napier would be the coach in 2025?

His overall record to date is what is determining that. Kids want to see wins on the field. That is what matters most.

I am not necessarily disagreeing here, since wins on the field lead to support from administration, which leads to a stable program.
But is the last statement really true for all recruits these days in the era of NIL?
Many players also seem to transfer if they are behind on the depth chart somewhere with the hope to see the playing field more often.
Then there is the perception of development for the NFL, especially for the top-rated recruits who want to go somewhere with a history of NFL drafted players - again, usually happening to teams with a history of winning, but not necessarily dependent on wins.

 

[Mark Wheeler]

Was it the wins or the public support he received from Stricklin confirming Napier would be the coach in 2025?

I stood outside the Heavener Complex as the December official visitors were leaving, and I don't remember any of them bringing up Stricklin's vote of confidence. They talked about the LSU and Ole Miss home wins.