Contrary to how things look optics wise, i dont mind them getting rid of all these kids. Only one I wanted to keep is Gibson.
Evers - 55% completion percentage to go along with 19 td’s and 8 ints this year. Outside of UF and OU, what big time program is without a QB at this point in time? I like him, im cool with his mom via Twitter and she actually post on Swamp Gas often
CJ Smith - wants to run track and only played NINE games of varsity football and has had injuries his last two years in HS. A lot of potential but not enough
Nolton - nobody wanted him and he was an easy get for us for our last staff. Miami didn’t give him an ounce of attention and he’s smaller than Jacurri Brown lol.
Gibbs - he’s a RB in the state of Florida that NOBODY else wanted or have tried to recruit.
Bond - decommited BEFORE Napier was hired so I don’t include him in the decommits that have occured since he’s become HC.
Napier asked them to hold off them signing on ESD so he and the staff can do their own evals and these kids don’t want to. I get BOTH sides. Napier don’t want to burn a counter and sign a dude “just because” and these kids want to get in where they fit in before spots become scarce and you CAN NOT blame them. Napier said at his presser dont expect anything on ESD and that’s happening.
put it this way, look at Manny Diaz transition class in 2019 and ask yourself how many of them made a difference in 2021. I’m NOT saying if he asked me for my advice on how he’s doing it, I’d be with it 100% on board with it, but i GET it. **** i dont have a choice BUT to lol
You make a lot of good points, but I have to ask a few questions.
First, isn't this the "rookie mistake" that many G5 coaches make when they jump to P5? As if "my highly-trained eye can suddenly spot an overrated 4-star from a mile away" is actually a thing, just a few weeks into the transition.
Second, you just mentioned FIVE guys. With Early Signing Day a week away, and with well over half of the Top 500 kids expected to commit/sign early, what is the "danger" of burning a few ICs for Florida? I mean, I'm not sure if all 5 were December (and I don't think Evers is such a big mistake, we saw a tremendous improvement in Jacurri's accuracy in his senior year of HS and hope for more improvement in college), but I really don't think that these five kids would have destroyed Billy Gaypier's IC stash.
Furthermore, if any other Gaytors decide to enter the Portal after next week, Gaypier would get REPLACEMENT ICs. In theory, UF could have 32 ICs in the spring, assuming (a) they take no signees in December and (b) 7 guys on the roster decide to hit the Portal in a week. Does this Gaypier guy honestly believe he is going to sign 32 Gaytor Standardz Brandz kids in February?
I mean, if Gaypier pulls it off, I'll give him full credit for having elephantitis of the nuts. But if not, he just wrecked all perception that the Gaytors were building a good recruiting class IN SPITE OF firing Mullet. And in the world today, perception is reality.
Good luck (OK, maybe I'm lying), I just don't think this will end well for either Gaypier or a Gaytor fanbase accustomed to bragging about recruiting rankings.
