Last I heard was positive....but sure hasn't been much info one way or the other beyond his offers really starting to pile up, becoming a hot commodity I think.
I’ll say this much: coach has got his work cut out for him. HE is the one that indicated they were going to work the portal hard to bring in talent. By what he said, it led many to believe he was indirectly saying that there was a shortage of talent in what was already ‘in’ the fold. But now, by there not seeming to be an exodus of present players opening the door for an influx of new players, it would seem they are going to have to make do with what’s already on the roster. Good luck Coach.
It's looking like an extreme exodus isn't happening. Without that, like you said, there just isn't room for a transfer influx (even if we have great players in the portal already aligned and ready to jump in). But, just not having Grantham around should make the defense 50% better. A good head coach has to master recruiting, development, and, in-game coaching. The key factor in terms of this year's win-loss tally will be the development and coaching components because we all know that recruiting impacts take several years. Hoping good coaching can turn some close losses into close wins this year.
While I am with you and seeking to exercise optimism, I also recognize that more than one of the teams we are trying to catch up with not only have great NIL deals already in place, a system that already recruits and culls the herd But they also have great Coaching and development. We’ve just had a Coach that thought he could ‘out coach ‘ and out strategize’ the opponents. And we know how that worked out. In this arms race, I don’t think Billy has the luxury of 3-4 years to catch up. He’s going to need to pull off a big enough turn around miracle that it not only ‘gets us in the conversation’ but by the 24 class at the latest, it brings us into the top 5 at least recruiting wise. Else wise, I suspect that we will remain in the ‘wannabe’s’ category.
Seeing Jon Walker cb’d to Ohio State breaks my heart. Florida not even going to get an official visit
It should also be considered encouraging that in spite of our awful season last year, damn near all our players apparently want to stay at UF. That says really good things about Napier and his staff - and I’d personally prefer that he doesn’t push any of them out the door, but chooses instead to develop them into the best they can be. This could make for some good team chemistry to begin the season with an entirely new staff. Go Gators
DL official visits set up so far: Keldric Faulk - June 17th Keldric Faulk, Highland Home, Defensive Line Peter Woods - June 9th Peter Woods, Thompson, Defensive Line Anthony James (A&M commit) - June 3rd Anthony James, Wylie East, Defensive Line
Not as worried about DT for this cycle. Don't see LeBlanc going anywhere else and I feel good about Norman if Harris commits to UF this weekend. Candy has Walker in his mock.