Billy Napier’s uphill climb

Dan Mullen certainly left his mark on the Gators’ 2022 chances ($$).

How the Gators recruited from 2019 to 2022

Mullen lacked the relationship-building gene necessary to engage elite prospects and wasn’t willing to invest effort in revamping his recruiting infrastructure. The result? A string of lukewarm classes that failed to keep pace in the high-rolling SEC. When Georgia dominated Florida 34-7 last October and Smart chose to emphasize the energy he pours into recruiting, the timing was in no way coincidental.

Florida had only a 12 percent hit rate on signing the top 10 in-state players across the past four years. That became a sore spot as Georgia (22 percent) and Alabama (20 percent) were pulling talent.

Florida still posted the nation’s 10th-best average class ranking over those four years, according to the 247Sports Composite. But with Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M and LSU generating the top four averages, the talent gap widened.

The talent gap widened?  Inconceivable!

This is a fair assessment:

This is one of those seasons when a lower bar for success is warranted — getting revenge on Kentucky, South Carolina and Missouri would be nice, for starters. Upset Utah in a sweltering opener or beat Tennessee for a sixth consecutive year and there’s a path to a nine-win regular season.

Although Florida embarking on a revenge tour against the likes of South Carolina will never not be funny.  Go Gata!

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15 Comments

Filed under Gators, Gators..., Recruiting

15 responses to “Billy Napier’s uphill climb

  1. miltondawg

    The path to a nine win regular season schedule is pretty much littered with pits filled with punji sticks for a team lacking top-end talent and depth starting over on offense and defense. Sure, the schedule is pretty kind to them with only four true road games (Vandy, FSU, A&M and UT). Georgia and A&M should both be losses. I find it hard to believe that this team in Napier’s first season with the players largely recruited by Mullen can manage to get through a more talented and probably better coached LSU (even at home), a more talented Utah (even at home), UT, UK (even at home), USCe (even at home), Mizzou (even at home), and FSU without more than one loss.

    Liked by 2 people

    • stoopnagle

      Really? They go to A&M? This is their second trip there already?

      Like

      • stoopnagle

        Oh, no, I’m sorry, this is Florida’s third trip to College Station since 2012 and their fourth game against the Aggies.

        I don’t want to complain, but we have yet to visit College Station and we’ve played A&M once. I get that 2020 was odd, but seriously WTF?

        Liked by 1 person

  2. It’s going to be a rough season in Hogtown…and I will be glad for it.

    FTMFs

    Liked by 7 people

    • Down Island Way

      It’s not the rough season that you speak of that brings joy to mine “BullDawg soul”, it’s that they’ll suck (Big Time) in the process…#FTMF

      Like

  3. aim260

    FT Sorry Ass MFs

    Liked by 3 people

  4. Corch Irvin Meyers, Former Jags Corch (2021)

    You know how much I love making fun of the ‘turds, but I can’t comment on a lame “revenge tour” because our very own 2017 revenge tour included VANDY and the NATS, so… you know… 2016 was especially horrible even for a first season.

    Like

    • biggusrickus

      The goal is to never need revenge tours, and Smart’s accomplished that.

      Like

      • Corch Irvin Meyers, Former Jags Corch (2021)

        I mostly agree, however that was not the case in 2017, in which everyone here and everywhere else including the team itself embraced the idea.

        Like

  5. stoopnagle

    “…embarking on a revenge tour against the likes of South Carolina…”

    Been there, done that; much less fun than the current hijinks, for sure.

    Liked by 2 people

  6. Dylan Dreyer's Booty

    “…there’s a path to a nine-win regular season.”

    Man, ‘a path?’. No, not a path to a natty, not a path to an SEC championship, not even a path to an SEC Division championship. This is a path created by a Gator beat writer being optimistic at the beginning of talking season. My how the Gator optimism has fallen. Bwahahahahah!

    Liked by 1 person

  7. archiecreek

    It’s fuqqing MAY!!
    That path looks like I-75 now.
    Come late August early September, that path is gonna look like a mule trail!!
    FTMFs!!

    Liked by 1 person

  8. armydawg

    F### those dog bitin’ buzzards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Like