Gators would truly be lost without Napier’s players

By Hays Carlyon

Florida fans should be thankful for Billy Napier.

You would barely have a competitive football team without him.

Napier is midway through his second season at 5-2. Is it fair to ask him to supply nearly all of the best talent the roster has so soon in his tenure?

That’s what he has been forced into thanks to the dismal recruiting of former coach Dan Mullen.

Napier had to find his quarterback in Graham Mertz. Check. Mertz is playing at a high level after transferring from Wisconsin.

Florida’s top three rushers this season — Montrell Johnson, Trevor Etienne and Treyaun Webb — are all Napier guys.

The top eight players in receiving yards are all players Napier added. TOP EIGHT! I’m not kidding: Ricky Pearsall, Tre Wilson, Arlis Boardingham, Kahleil Jackson, Caleb Douglas, Johnson, Andy Jean and Etienne.

Imagine where the Gators would be if Mullen’s successor couldn’t recruit, identity and develop talent.

The defensive side of the ball was far from a full cupboard as well.

Napier has had to find four of his top five tacklers this season on his own: Shemar James, Jordan Castell, Cam Jackson and Miguel Mitchell. Linebacker Scooby Williams, a redshirt sophomore, is third in the team in tackles and was a Mullen recruit.

Two of Florida’s best rotational defensive linemen are true freshmen in T.J. Searcy and Kelby Collins.

Napier basically took over an expansion program.

He also had to deal with Florida’s NIL falling into shambles in December as The Gator Collective disintegrated after the Jaden Rashada debacle. UF has rebounded nicely with Florida Victorius.

Senior Day will certainly be brief prior to the Florida State game. The Gators have five on this team. Pearsall is the only one that is a significant contributor. Linebacker Teradja Mitchell is a rotational player. Offensive tackle Lyndell Hudson is a reserve. Tight ends Dante Zanders and Keon Zipperer round out the quintet, although Zipperer will likely redshirt after suffering a season-ending injury in camp.

Five seniors.

There is a 22-man junior class but honestly the only ones that appear to be headed for the NFL Draft are defensive end Princely Umanmielen and cornerback Jason Marshall. Many, and a portion of the 26-man sophomore group, will be encouraged to transfer as Napier’s recruiting class arrives in 2024. The Gators are currently third in the country in the 247Sports team rankings with 22 commitments. They are expected to add at least three more players.

The considerable fat on Florida’s 85-man roster will be gone once this group arrives.

More losses are coming, starting very likely on Saturday when the Gators meet top-ranked Georgia in Jacksonville.

But ask yourself this: shouldn’t more losses be coming? How could any rational person expect Napier to compete for championships in his second year when he has had to produce the vast majority of his contributors? Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer didn’t face rebuilds nearly this daunting when they took over the job. Spurrier inherited a nasty defense in 1990. Meyer inherited all of Ron Zook’s blue-chip recruits in 2005.

Gators fans will probably have to endure a tough five-game stretch to close this season. Four of their final five opponents are currently ranked inside the top 16 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll.

However, brighter days are ahead. Napier is proving he can recruit at an elite level and has a keen eye for the transfer portal.

He is the right guy for the Gators, despite what the next five games might produce.

Give him time and you will be richly rewarded.

(You can email Hays at [email protected] and follow him on X @HaysCarlyon).