Column: Take a Deep Breath If You're Already Worried About Gators Recruiting

Four days into a program rebuild is far too early to panic about decommitments — expecially when a shakeup should have been expected.

Photo: Billy Napier; Credit: Alex Shepherd

Florida's 2022 recruiting class plummeted in any outlet's rankings you could find over the last 36 hours, as quarterback Nick Evers, wide receivers Jayden Gibson and Chandler Smith, and defensive end Francois Nolton Jr. backed off of their intentions to sign with the program.

If you're a Gators fan and were on social media during that time, you experienced the meltdown and panic across the fanbase — no matter if you agreed with it or not.

But, perhaps these moves shouldn't be a total shock. New head coach Billy Napier suggested at his introductory press conference on Sunday that the program would not rush to sign prospects during the early signing period as he intends to evaluate the state of recruiting. 

That is likely to include Florida's current haul of commitments, what's left on the proverbial market, and any shakeup in the class of 2022 given the national movement of head coaches over the past month — whether it be among high school prospects or within the transfer portal.

"We're going to go through a very thorough evaluation process," Napier said. 

"You can expect us to be very conservative, very patient, trying to position ourselves for post-signing day to evaluate all the players that are left over, all the players in the transfer portal," he continued. "And then when we do have our entire staff and organization put together, position ourselves for some really strong weekends in January, and then try to close strong in February."

Napier officially kicked off his duties as Florida's head coach on Sunday, four days before this column was penned. The early signing period, meanwhile, is less than a week away.

Naturally, the recruiting class was going to encounter some turbulence during that stretch. Maybe it wasn't expected to be to this degree, but when a coach intends to tear things down and rebuild their program from the ground up, how could this outcome end up being much of a surprise?

Napier specifically shared that, in order for his plan to work, Florida needs to ensure it is welcoming the best fits for the program to campus — coaches, recruits, and transfers alike. Given the time crunch between Napier's hiring and the first signing day, it isn't fair to judge if a prospect fits the Napier mold or not in such a rush. 

A parting of ways allows both the prospects, and Florida, to find their best fits if one or both sides feels inclined to split up. All, and if not all, the majority of these prospects should be able to find new future homes as Power 5-caliber recruits.

"I think that for me, I think it's important in recruiting that both sides understand each other and have had time to build relationships, to have conversations, to know who is going to coach you, to fully understand what the plan is," Napier stated. 

"So I think it goes both ways in that regard. I think it's an injustice to them and it's an injustice to us to all of a sudden just hurry up and elope right here at the last second."

Sure, the idea of losing top-rated recruits in Gibson and Evers, among others, stings on the surface. It might even sting Napier in the long run if each prospect finds success elsewhere.

However, as Napier is just four days into a full-on program rebuild, panicking Florida fans should take a deep breath. Napier made it clear: He is going to focus on February's signing day following the finalization of his coaching staff, reorganizing the recruiting board and building relationships with his top targets. 

It's an approach that requires patience, and Napier should be afforded it. Especially after four years of recruiting struggles under previous head coach Dan Mullen, a major aspect of why he was dismissed in November.

The first domino to fall in step one of Napier's plan — aside from coaches who followed the head coach from Louisiana — came when he hired Corey Raymond as the assistant head coach of Florida's defense and cornerbacks coach. Raymond is regarded as one of the nation's top recruiters and has produced draft pick after draft pick from the LSU Tigers' secondary over the years.

When that news broke, the pessimism across social media quickly turned into optimism, perfectly encapsulating the idea that losing a handful of commitments was not the end of the world.

The process, or journey as Napier calls it, is going to take some time. There will be ups and downs. Maybe the plan will work out, and maybe it won't.

But four days into a new regime is simply way too early to draw conclusions, one way or another.

Stay tuned to AllGators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @SI_AllGators on Twitter and Florida Gators on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.