Florida Football Recruitment: 2022 ESPN Post-Game Ranking

Florida coach Billy Napier inherited the transition class messy for 2022. When he took office, the team was bleeding from both the team’s late-season collapse and the subsequent decision to dismiss coach Dan Mullen. It seemed that the UF class was becoming one of the worst in years, and it was unclear how much a person known as a top recruiter like Napier could do to fix it.

It’s been a process, but Napier is slowly reversing its class. He added three blue-chip dyes on the early day of signing, including five-star security in Kamari Wilson and four-star linebacker Shemar James, who was originally committed to Gators but left the class. He also avoided losing new commitments on the date of signing.

However, much remains to be done, as Florida’s 2022 class is still only 59. ESPN Recruitment Lists the next bowl season.

ESPN 300 commitments: Previous position: 63

SEC Rank: 14/14
Top Attack: OT Tony Livingston (No. 209)
Top Defense: S Kamari Wilson (No. 14)

This is a small class, and the new head coach Billy Napier has a lot of work to do, but the Gators came out of the early signing season with some positive things to build on. The late visit just before the dead period went a long way to beat Georgia five-star safety Wilson, a strike-type defender. They were also able to bring the one-time Florida commitment and ESPN 300 LB Shemar James back to the tip. Livingston is a tight-lipped high school with a lot of positive development.

It would be disappointing if it ended today, but with only 10 signatories and one unsigned commitment, this category has room to add much more. Florida targets several top players, including Louisiana four-star runners Trevor Etienne and TreVonte ‘Citizen. Also included is five-star linebacker Harold Perkins, who pledged to Texas A&M on Sunday but will be on an official visit to Gainesville over the weekend of Jan. 14.

It may be too late for Napier to make this an elite class, but along the national signing date, this shouldn’t be the SEC’s worst class in a long time.

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