Twitter Updates 2024

to me this is a whiff by the staff. Took an entire month to offer this guy in the portal. Claims Uf his dream school. We finally set up a visit but he commits before even showing up.

what is the army for if not evaluating a player in less than a months time? I am a fan of coach Napier but I get tired of head coaches who are stuck in their ways and refuse to adjust as the world changes around them. Not a fan of stubbornness.

 

the dreaded "Dream School" curse...... I dont believe this was a "whiff" at all just one of those win some lose some kinda things. This was not a pressing need and ND just made a better offer. MEH.....

 

Hell no! He and his army should get everyone they offer or it’s a failure.

 

You so stubborn.

 

Meh

 

I want…

 

Suck it chump

 

Boo!

 

Don’t know, man. We got like 3 schollies left so we can be more picky.

 

Or... bigger fish to fry.

 

would you use one of our last 3 scholarships available on a CB from Rhode island? I was thinking we have bigger needs at other positions. Not to mention we are in on a ton of top DB's the '24 recruiting class that I feel would be more beneficial to recruiting moving forward.

I mean if we had a good bit of left over schollys then sure but to lambast a coach and staff because they didn't get a Rhode island DB is silly. Anyone actually think if Coach Raymond REALLY wanted this guy he would have waited ? In Raymond I trust

 

if saving schollys for 24 class defensive backs is the strategy…I don’t have much of an argument for that.

however, in the past bazillion years (ok, slight exaggeration) it seems like every year I hear “we won’t have room to sign all these guys leaning UFs way” and then…we never are close to over signing or filling up as all these gator leans don’t pan out.

last year is a classic example….we only signed 20 high school guys. That is low for a non transition class. So the strategy of saving a scholarship for a future player who may never actually sign with UF vs taking a good player now (good enough to be offered) - hard for me to get on board with that.

 

Well, there is not a lot left in the portal at this point - not sure what / who we have been saving them for.

Also…we never fill up. I cannot recall the last time we had 85 on scholarship when fall arrives. The only times we ever get close to that number is when the staff awards scholarships for the semester to walks ons. (Se we would not get near 85 without doing that p).

speculation that staff could also clear room if needed by asking one of two scholarship kickers to transfer or, as I hear many people say, asking some dead weight to move on (don’t want to insult those players by including their names but most know whom i refer to).

anyway, There is always ways to make room if we wanted to.

 

I wasn't talking about saving them for the '24 i was talking about using the last 3 for this class on a few positions that might be more important needs, rather then to sulk over "whiffing" on a DB from Rhode Island who has NEVER even competed regularly at anywhere near the level of competition the SEC brings.
What about this guy screams "must get" that you feel not going hard after him makes CBN "stubborn" and "stuck in his ways" as you put it? Not to mention our DB coach is one of the most revered in college football and I'm sure he had his input on this guy.

I'm actually much happier with getting RJ Moten a 4* safety who is also a legacy with as much or more eligibility, and was a starter on one of the nations best defenses at Michigan. Was he stubborn when he pursued and acquired the commitment of Moten?

 

Maybe….but his evaluations are incredible so I would say his method is justified

 

Think this might be in the wrong forum my Gator broski!

 

i misunderstood in reference to 2024. Thanks for clarifying.

Well, the UF db coach is the one who offered him. So I’m assuming Uf feels like he can contribute. And LSU, Texas A and M, Iowa, UK, Notre Dame amongst others all offered him so while he hasn’t played power 5 football, many power 5 teams watched his film and offered him. Including Corey Raymond. They thought he would make a good nickel….which Florida hasn’t had in several years. Would have been battling Perkins (who has struggled with two playbooks and has a hard time getting playing time) and Hill (who has never played nickel and has lost some speed and burst due to injury). Anyone else who may push for a nickel role would be a true freshman. I’m assuming coaches wanted better depth and or competition and offered him.

Same as they did with Moten…who by the way lost his starting job at Michigan and that is why he was in the portal. He has starter experience at safety - which that experience will help Uf since every back up on UF was a true freshmen. (The Rhode Island db also has two years of eligibility like Moten), when Motens dad Ron came on the official visit with his son he said it was his first trip back to Gainesville since he left Uf. He had no desire to ever come back so not sure the legacy thing mattered all that much (outside of it being a cool story).


Never said coach was stubborn in who he pursues. Just in how he does it. Multiple reporters have confirmed that Uf is the ONLY school out of 130 division 1 football programs who are asking transfers to create a workout video - not splice film and send highlight reels- but sends the transfer a list of workouts to do, asks them to have someone film them doing it, and then send to UF for evaluation. The same reporters also confirmed that some of the transfer targets told UF to “kick rocks”- I have game film. You can offer me or not. Bama isn’t asking. LSU isn’t asking. USC isn’t asking me to jump through hoops to maybe get an offer. For players with no game film- I can get on board with the workout tape. But not for seasoned players with tons of game film.

I have read posters who state “well, if they won’t go run around and film a workout than they aren’t serious about being a gator so we don’t want them”. Really? We are so elite that we need players to prove their commitment to a school that hasn’t offered? Again- Bama, Georgia, Texas, USC- NO ONE is asking for this workout tape. Mullen didn’t have a problem getting some good transfers without a workout tape.

THAT is what I find as stubborn- this process 1) takes time and 2) turns away a potential great player. The transfer portal is a quick process unlike the high school recruiting season. Many of the transfers decide super quickly on where to attend - while we are still asking for and or evaluating a workout tape players are already deciding where to go. Insider on another site alluded to two O linemen who we back channeled with interest in UF weeks before even spring practice. One committed to Ohio state and the other to the Trojans. In both cases, UF delayed the official visits and or offers and it cost us two players that we encouraged to enter the portal- only to see them go elsewhere once they entered.

When we hired 100 staffers I would have expected to have some of them evaluating tape at all times of high school and potential transfers. Hell, they could even review tape of players not yet in the portal as rumors swirl on who may be transferring and back door channels are pursued.

my statement regarding stubbornness revolves around

1) that Napiers way of evaluating players (creating and sending the coaches a specific workout tape) is the best evaluation tool in the industry. I have heard MacIlwains, Mullens, Muschamp, evaluations were also the best. We say that about all our coaches. Sometimes they hit. Sometimes they miss. But 129 other coaches have different methods. Saban, Riley, Kirby, Dabo do not do this.

2) if he trusts his process…if he wants to do his evaluation his way no matter what…well, he has to find a way to speed it up for portals. We have signed 20 or less high school kids in his first two classes…that has to be made up with transfers.