Florida Gators 2022 Early Signing Period Preview and Schedule

Photo: Billy Napier; Credit: Alex Shepherd

A week and a half after starting the job, Billy Napier is set to sign his first group of prospects as the Florida Gators head coach.

Following a slew of decommitments from the program since former head coach Dan Mullen was fired and Napier was hired, the original expectation was that UF would have a relatively quiet signing day. Other than signing their remaining commits, the thought was Florida would hold onto 2022 scholarships, reshape its recruiting board after December's signing day and push for commitments through February's national signing day.

Napier said it himself in his introductory press conference on Nov. 28, that his staff planned to take a patient approach when it came to the first signing period of the cycle.

"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," Napier stated. "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."

Patience may very well be required as UF builds its 2022 class, however, although Napier has filled out less than half of his coaching and support staff at this point, the Gators gained sudden and serious momentum over the last few days with a handful of top recruits and could very well add players to their haul on Wednesday.

The Gators hosted several notable prospects this past weekend for the final period of in-person recruiting before signing day: Owasso (Okla.) defensive tackle Chris McClellan, Deerfield Beach (Fla.) offensive tackle David Conner, IMG Academy (Fla.) safety Kamari Wilson, Naples (Fla.) defensive back Devin Moore, and Warren Easton (La.) defensive tackle/Georgia commit Shone Washington.

McClellan and Conner, already committed to Florida, traveled to campus to meet Napier and his coaching staff in hopes of solidifying their decisions, while Wilson and Moore remain on the market and Washington is considering a flip from Georgia before he signs his letter of intent.

Both uncommitted visitors, and Washington, as well as long-time priority Gators targets such as Faith Academy (Ala.) linebacker Shemar James and Clear Lake (Texas) cornerback/Georgia commit Julian Humphrey, among others, appear to have Florida on their minds as they close in on their final college decision. Humphrey, once a UF commit before flipping to UGA in November, was re-offered by Napier and his staff on Tuesday.

Get your popcorn ready, because Florida could surprise the recruiting landscape by landing one or more of the above targets as the early signing period commences, as well as others who are listed in Florida's early signing day schedule below, compiled by AllGators.

Should the early signing period not provide much excitement for the Gators, expect a busy national signing day in Feb. 2022 littered with acquisitions of high school prospects and transfer portal talent.

All times on the following schedules are in Eastern Standard Time. Each time listed has been confirmed by AllGators, Sports Illustrated All-American or shared by the prospects themselves.

This story will be updated as more times are confirmed.

Early signing period schedule for Gators commits

Barring any last-second changes, the majority of Florida's 2022 commits are expected to sign during the early signing period, which is typically a standard procedure. Prospects may submit their letters of intent prior to their signing ceremonies.

Viera (Fla.) defensive tackle Jamari Lyons: 8 A.M.
Fort Bend Marshall (Texas) offensive tackle Christian Williams: 9:30 A.M.
Deerfield Beach (Fla.) offensive tackle David Conner: 11 A.M.
King (Fla.) offensive tackle/tight end Tony Livingston: 2:30 P.M. (submitted early)
Severna Park (Md.) kicker Trey Smack: 3 P.M.
Owasso (Okla.) defensive tackle Chris McClellan: 4 P.M.

Not signing during the early signing period: Eastside (Ga.) offensive lineman Jalen Farmer (per report).

Early signing period schedule for Gators targets

This list includes priority targets for the Gators, whether they remain on the market or are committed elsewhere, as well as recruits with Florida in their current list of top schools.

Naples (Fla.) defensive back Devin Moore: 7:30 A.M.
Riverside (Fla.) cornerback, Georgia commit Jaheim Singletary: 9 A.M. (signed with UGA)
Dillard (Fla.) defensive lineman Nyjalik Kelly: 10 A.M.
Lee County (Ga.) linebacker Jaron Willis: 12 P.M.
Niceville (Fla.) defensive back Azareyeh Thomas: 12 P.M.
Clear Lake (Texas) cornerback, Georgia commit Julian Humphrey: 12:45 P.M.
Warren Easton (La.) defensive lineman, Georgia commit Shone Washington: 4 P.M.
IMG Academy (Fla.) safety Kamari Wilson: 4 P.M.
Madison Prep (La.) defensive lineman Quency Wiggins: 5:30 P.M.
Faith Academy (Ala.) linebacker Shemar James: 6 P.M.

Gators targets with unconfirmed early signing day times or who plan to sign at a later date

Ponchatoula (La.) safety Jacoby Mathews: Jan. 2, 2022
Jennings (La.) running back Trevor Etienne: Jan. 8, 2022
Lake Charles College Prep (La.) running back TreVonte' Citizen: Date TBA

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.