How the Gators do next year W - L wise will seriously effect my point of view of Gator recruiting and talent aquisition under Napier. Of the class just signed, how many of those players get snaps? How many snaps?? .........Exactly.......how many even get PT consideration? Can't really "judge" the 25 class for another couple of years IMO. This is Napiers 4th talent aquisition cycle. We shall see what the W-L results are next year. The 25 team will be almost exclusively Napier kids via HS or the Portal. Gator Nation is looking at Football through several different lens. Phase 1 - Historicaly (when UF was good), I mean, after all, UF only started playing ball in 1990...Right? and up to 2009, Tebows last year. So we will call phase 1 1990 - 2009. 2010 - 2020 when UF was "so so", and devoid of any hardware outside of a few SEC East banners. And of course the "here and now" 2021 - 2024 under Mullen and Napier, when Gator fortunes took a nose dive. For whatever reasons one wants to plug in, Dan's squads went the opposite way one would expect - A happy start with a rapid fade. UF has been stuck at "sucks" for three consecutive years: 2021 - 5-7, 2022 - 6-7 and 2023 - 5-7, losing to Vandy and KY, our rivals on a consistent basis, barely sniffing .500, and generally falling into the bottom 1/4 of the Conference. It would not be fair to put this 7 - 5 squad in the same category as the 21,22 and 23 squads. The 24 squad went 4 - 4 in the SEC and has a winning record and is going to a bowl. Examining the big picture of recruiting, the game has changed so significantly with the transfer portal. It seems the "current" school of thought, as to the best path to success, is to continue to build the base team with HS recruits, coach em up and grab transfers in areas of need or for depth. I think FSU's recent fortunes offer a unique case study in this regard. FSU hit a home run for two years, building with the portal and having an ace QB. That strategy went into reverse to the tune of 2 - 10 for the mighty holes in 2024. I suspect College football will see more examples (crazy record swings), like this, with the new rules. I was worried UF's ESD class would be ranked somewhere in the 30 - 39 category a month ago. I am ecstatic the staff was able to rally and wind up with 23 or so H.S. kids, and a ranking of around 11. So here we go into Napiers 4th year. While I am cheered by the recent W's, recruiting success and general positive vibe, I'm already hearing pundits like Shane Matthews suggest 9 - 3 or playoffs in 25 to keep Napier. Personally, I am cheering and supporting Napier and the Gators to "DO-IT" in 25. I don't think Shane or any other Gator fan should have "low" expectations for next year. After 4 years, UF should be competing for hardware, position and high caliber recruits. It was a heck of a roller coaster this year, I will admit I saw no chance for Napier to survive after DJL got hurt against UGA. The last month have given Gator Nation something to cheer about, lets hope the positive mojo continues into the bowl, the spring and summer and into and throughout the 25 season! Go Gators!
Because the year before that we didn't hit on as many portal takes. Just like HS recruiting, it depends on who you get and how you develop them.
So he got waxed by Miami and aTm on purpose to lower our expectations? The positive mojo also goes to the unmistakable improvement on how the team played down the stretch. The team that beat LSU and Ole Miss would boat race the team that got embarrassed by Miami and aTm. We can only hope that improvement continues. We shall see.
On the balance BN has done well in the portal. Jackson and Banks in particular ended up being pivotal to the D performance down the stretch.
Excellent point. That is why UF should be judge against their peers in the SEC. Heck if we look at the schedule next year assuming recruiting rankings directly relate to wins and losses we would finish, um, 3-5 in the SEC.
Indeed, it seems the consensus is UF needs another couple of good portal recievers, and some interior linemen on offense and defense. Also seems to be some concern about aquiring a good replacement QB for DJL should that scenerio arise.
They did this year. They were just guys in 2023 and our LB and S portal signees weren't effective at all in 2023.
I think making that playoff little thingy and going far and winning it is the criteria and that measures the degrees. Boise and Arizona State with their free ride to the playoff doesn't really count unless they knock off some of these teams.
For those taking the "hard Look", yes, the not so happy fact is, Napier has not quite met recruiting expectations, since his hire. Going by HS recruiting rankings alone, UF is a middle of the pack SEC team. I think that (ranking) improves (a little) when you combine HS recruiting and transfer portal. But looking at the facts, even through nice and shiny O&B glasses, UF is middle of the road in the SEC at best, when considering "talent aquisition". Point being, one would not expect UF to "overwhelm" SEC opponents by talent alone, far from it. This of course thrusts the burden back to good coaching, favorable schedule, and plain old "good luck" on the field and with injuries. Clearly coaching has some areas to clean up and schedule............lol, schedule..........uh, somebody needs to point out to the SEC schedulars in charge, UF got the short end of the stick! I'm an O&B guy, glass half full (95% of the time) and clearly a fan of DJL. Time for the staff to make (earn) that money, with success on various levels, starting with the Portal and heading into the Bowl.
I think it's the clear separation in classes between the top three or four teams and the next group of teams that make up the next 10 to 15 Teams
Interesting point Wanne. I listen to quite a few of the recruiting "pundits". While a subjective point, a number of them (pundits) suggest getting into the top three (3) "consistently" is a good marker to determine who will finish well, year after year. Apparantly there is a significant drop off between the top 3 and then #4 and #5. I have done no analysis of this information other than to accept the words of the pundits, so I do not post from a position of verification, but quite a few pundits seem to have a similar opinion.
I don't agree in any way, but why would you think we would regress here? I think portal usage and methodology will only get better the longer it's in place.
