BUDDY MARTIN BLOG: Billy Napier To The Rescue, Just When You Thought The Gators Were Dead ...

The Florida Gators were getting skunked. And despite the fact that Napier had warned everybody to lower their expectations, it was a gut punch to the hopefuls who just wanted to see some signs of life.

The prize pick: Five-star Kamari Wilson from IMG (Graphic courtesy of UAA)

Every outstanding quarterback and coach I’ve ever covered had a clock in his head. It was with that sense of timing and rhythm that he arrived at the right place, at the right time, usually achieving the right result. In only his second week, without ever coaching a single player or play, Billy Napier became that guy, arriving at just the right time on National Signing Day. It was impressive.

At the beginning of the day, Florida looked like Lazarus, without a pulse, and you could feel the pall being cast over Gator Nation. Napier had said that he doubted Florida would land many – if any – new recruits. Surely he was sandbagging! As the day went on, Gator fans gasped at the sight of the ESPN scoreboard which listed Florida 14th in the SEC, or “NR,” behind even VANDERBILT! It felt like a new low.

I don’t know exactly how you score a National Signing Day. Frankly, I’ve never understood why it was considered a competition when they don’t keep a real score, aside from those who count the accumulated stars. Along those lines, Texas A&M and Alabama apparently won the day with 15 five-stars each.

The Florida Gators were getting skunked. And despite the fact that Napier had warned everybody to lower their expectations, it was a gut punch to the hopefuls who just wanted to see some signs of life.

When the news started dropping, Gator fans got excited again. (GatorBait Photo)

Then Napier came to the rescue, at just the right time. Word began to spread on the message boards that UF was in the hunt for five-star safety Kamari Wilson of IMG Academy and the nation’s No. 2 ranked linebacker, Shemar James, a former Gator commit who had flipped but might be flipped back.

Scheduling for a press conference at 4:30, Napier pushed it to 5. That was my first clue that something was brewing. Why would Napier delay the bad news? There was still a buzz about several potential prize recruits being landed by Napier and his staff.

Starting down by four touchdowns, so to speak, Napier rallied. And his gallant attempt to be a relevant on NSD resonated with Gator fans. Suddenly there was a scent of hope. Was Napier going to out-recruit the Alabama's and Georgia's for a few top players?

Even a recruiting dummy like me could catch the significance of what was going on.

At end of his first NSD at Florida, Napier showed up with nine players, five of them highly regarded, a quality start on his roster. He got both of his big fish, Wilson and James, and what he called “an intelligent group that comes from really good people, great communicators. I think they’re wired right, if that make sense, and they’re team-first people.”

Sorry Alabama, Shemar won't be coming to Tuscaloosa. (Graphic courtesy of UAA)

And by the way, he said there would be “more to come.” I took that to mean another signee or two might drop in the next 24-48 hours. But there are two makeup windows – a second NSD in February and the ever-lovin’ Transfer Portal, which giveth and taketh away.

As many as 10 or 15 Gators may wind up leaving through the Portal – as we found out that same day, Emory Jones was among those planning to transfer. However, Napier promised there would be more “talent acquisition.”

“We're going to acquire talent, too,” said Napier. “Just not as many today as they did. But this is our first class, and we're going to make the best of it. I'll say this: I've got confidence and conviction about each of these players that signed here today. They fit exactly what we're looking for. They've got redeeming qualities, and we've got confidence that they can do a job for our team.”

I must confess that while it’s not on the same level as playing and winning the games, year-round recruiting has become so critical that it takes on its own life. Having said that, by modern standards, Napier is undefeated in his first two competitions. He won the inaugural press conference. And in a partial signing day, starting the game in about the last four minutes of play, the new Florida coach at least fought it to a draw.

What bodes well for him is the fact that in a short period of time, Napier has hired some superb assistants. In fact he admitted it was through the relationship with Assistant Head Coach/Safeties Corey Raymond and defensive assistant Jamar Chaney played a big role in the decision of Wilson.

Having a relationship with Corey Raymond helped land Wilson. (Graphic Courtesy of UAA)

Right off, the fact that Napier picked the low-hanging fruit at IMG by landing Wilson seemed like a late-coming wakeup call which has somehow mystified other Florida coaches. Had it eluded them that only 160 miles out their backdoor resided a cluster of five- and four-stars? Could there not have been better reconnaissance? Even if it’s not legal to “recruit,” surely there must have been a way to have an insider feeding intel.

Napier is ramping up his staff to include an “army” of analysts, assistants, support personnel, etc. and his plan includes the use of more brain power and elbow grease on daily recruiting. Unlike his predecessor, he not only welcomes the challenge but considers recruiting an enjoyable “off-season competition.” A former ally at Alabama described Napier like “a pit bull grabbing the leg” of a recruit once he got him in his sights. As a show of force, he and Scott Stricklin cherry picked Georgia’s Katie Turner and named her assistant AD Recruiting at Florida — a bit of a coup.

“We love to do it, and I think it's a big part -- you go back to the analogy of growing up watching my dad as a high school coach, right? He didn't get to decide who was on his team. He just had to coach the players in the community. I think it's part of the competition to me is you get to build your roster. You get to hand select the individual players that you want to be a part of your team, not only from a talent perspective but I think all these intangibles that really separate the good player from the great player, and I think that all these young men fit what we're looking for.”

Jamar Chaney just arrived but had an impact on NSD. (Graphic Courtesy of UAA)

Once he gets his brood in the house, “then it’s time to roll up his sleeves and now the real work begins. Take the stars off, start at the bottom, earn your way, and we'll begin that process. A lot of these guys are mid-year players and they're going to have a chance to show up here on January 4th and contribute to the team.”

Contrary to what critics may have surmised, yes, Virginia, Billy Napier will field a Gator team in 2022.