Gators QB Room Has Undergone Quick and Drastic Facelift Under Billy Napier

In just over a year on the job, Billy Napier has completely flipped the Gators quarterback room from players he inherited to his handpicked prospects.

Photo: Billy Napier; Credit: Alex Shepherd

The future of the sport’s most important position is brighter than ever in Gainesville.

On Wednesday, Willis, Texas, native DJ Lagway announced his long-awaited commitment to the University of Florida, equipping the Gators with an early face of the franchise for the 2024 class.

His announcement came on the heels of a shocking flip from 2023 signal caller Jaden Rashada from Miami to UF, giving the Gators two elite talents behind center to anchor the present and future recruiting cycles.

While their pledges are important for hauling other top-notch prospects from around the country to head to Gainesville alongside them, the buzz surrounding their future play speaks volumes to the direction of UF on and off the field.

However, the duo’s commitments are just a portion — albeit a large one — of the substantial overhaul Billy Napier and Co. have nearly completed at the game’s most important position.

"The quarterback position's effect on your team with not only the production part but the leadership part," Napier said on Thursday. 

"It's critical. I think we all understand that and we've invested in that area and we work extremely hard at it ... I think we'll be working hard to address some of the issues at that position and, obviously, we've got some good players for the future at the position and maybe we'll add more as we go on here."

However, prior to harping on the importance of said facelift, looking back at the roster attrition at the position over the last year is vital.

Before the Gators stepped foot onto the field under the new leadership, tweaks to the quarterback position from Dan Mullen’s reign began. At the time, Florida saw Texas-based quarterback Nick Evers as the face of the 2022 class with a significant buzz from fans for his future in orange and blue. Napier didn’t see eye-to-eye with the previous regime or the fanbase in that regard.

Taking care of some noticeable housekeeping with the committed class, Napier lost multiple recruits in his first days on the job, leading to Evers' decommitment in the closing stages. 

Central Michigan commit Max Brown later entered the picture as the lone addition to the quarterback group, as he flipped his pledge to Florida on Jan. 24 and signed on Feb. 2.

Inheriting a room with the likes of Emory Jones, Anthony Richardson, Carlos Del Rio-Wilson and Jalen Kitna, the new staff saw an evident void in need of patching when Jones took to the transfer portal at the beginning of spring. Richardson was set to take over as a full-time starter after showing flashes of excellence in relief of Jones throughout the 2021 campaign.

But, a No. 2 was sorely needed.

Napier brought in Ohio State transfer Jack Miller III to immediately fill the backup signal-caller spot behind Richardson for the 2022 season. The room grew crowded yet again as Brown’s entrance was on the horizon with five QBs in the mix. Del Rio-Wilson hit the portal following the spring game in response.

That left Richardson, Miller, Kitna and Brown as the quartet of scholarship quarterbacks solidified as the personnel to carry into the first year under new tutelage.

Jumps were made behind Richardson, as Kitna emerged as the No. 2 quarterback after a preseason injury to Miller’s throwing hand drastically affected his ability to contribute. Kitna even took meaningful snaps for the Gators in relief of Richardson against Florida State. 

His time in the spotlight on the field would be short-lived, however, after being arrested and charged with five counts of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on November 30. Kitna was dismissed from the team a few days later.

Kitna's expulsion from the team, followed by Richardson’s declaration for the NFL Draft, gives the Gators no sign of Mullen’s influence on the quarterback room heading into the future.

It’s a positional overhaul that is unlike any seen by a Florida head coach over the past decade, as Will Muschamp, Jim McElwain and Mullen utilized the talents left behind by the prior coach for their first two seasons in charge or longer.

In some instances, it worked (Kyle Trask with Mullen). In others, it didn’t (Treon Harris with McElwain).

The Gators likely aren’t done adding to the spot just yet. As Richardson departs for the NFL, targeting a one-year bridge quarterback from the transfer portal will be imperative for Florida to ensure competitiveness and proper development of young talent like Rashada in 2023 and beyond.

The official beginning of the Napier-approved group will take place in the bowl game, as Miller will start while Brown likely backs him up. Rashada will step into the fold this offseason and a transfer portal addition will likely follow suit nearly simultaneously.

It is unclear who will emerge as the top target in that area, but Florida is surely in the market with noted contact of several signal-callers who have entered the transfer portal.

Lagway — arguably the biggest addition of the bunch in terms of talent and timing — will begin working as Florida’s player recruiter to bring other top talents alongside him into the program in the meantime. His impact off the field could foreshadow the one immense role he takes on he has on it when his number is eventually called.

However, one thing is noticeably clear.

Napier has placed his fingerprints all over the Gators' quarterback room. He's shaped it to fit the vision of his offense, his team and his culture as he attempts to build his empire in Gainesville.

While the first season returns at 6-6 (3-5 SEC) suggest a long rebuild, Napier's impressive start on the trail indicates a promising ascension in talent in all areas. 

Despite entering the field a season ago with a bevy of players who operated under the previous regime, a near-complete overhaul at one position in just over a year on the job reshaped what the future of Napier’s offense will look like. That came while also filtering out those who didn’t fit his vision for the future.

Ultimately, Florida should be better for it.

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