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Florida Football is absolutely on fire on the recruiting trail

By Chris Peterson

Florida Gators head football coach Billy Napier smiles after a question from a reporter during a weekly press conference at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, in Gainesville, Feb. 11, 2022. Napier was asked about coaching hires, recruiting, his team preparation plans and also mentioned the Gators will begin Spring practice March 15.Flgai 02112022 Napierufpresser 03
Florida Gators head football coach Billy Napier smiles after a question from a reporter during a weekly press conference at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, in Gainesville, Feb. 11, 2022. Napier was asked about coaching hires, recruiting, his team preparation plans and also mentioned the Gators will begin Spring practice March 15.Flgai 02112022 Napierufpresser 03 /
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Florida football has put together an impressive month on the recruiting trail but the last few days have seen even more fireworks for the Gators. 

Sometimes when people preach patience, it’s actually OK to listen and that’s a lesson that some Florida football fans are learning right now.

It wasn’t that long ago that some of them were freaking out about Billy Napier’s recruiting efforts (right around the Jaden Rashada commitment to Miami) and wondering if his hire was a mistake.

You’ll remember a huge point of contention with Dan Mullen was recruiting. It got especially bad during the 2022 cycle and Mullen refused to talk about it.

So when Florida football fans saw the Gators struggling again in 2023, you could see why some started to panic a little bit, especially as Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes were doing well and still are.

Yet, Napier said he wasn’t worried and he shouldn’t have been because Florida football is executing its plan to near perfection in the month of July and it’s only continued with four, yes four, four-star commitments in the last three days.

Florida football grabbed some nice momentum when it flipped QB Marcus Stokes from Penn State, and this week, the Gators got him and the other QBs on the roster, some weapons as top-100 wideout Aidan Mizell pledged (No. 72 overall) giving Florida its top-ranked commitment in this 2023 class.

Then, on Saturday, Napier and the Gators followed that up by beating Miami for the commitment of four-star wideout Andy Jean. Both those recruits were out of Florida.

The Gators also picked up a commitment from top-200 (in-state DB) Ja’Keem Jackson on Thursday, as well as landing Jordan Castell, a four-star safety ranked 202nd overall in 2023, on Saturday.

Gators are trending towards the top 10 and a flip

Florida has moved all the way up to 12th in the 247 sports team rankings for the 2023 class and it looks like the recruiting run isn’t over yet.

Dijon Johnson, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound corner from Tampa, Florida, decommitted from Ohio State on Saturday and the No. 91 overall prospect in 2023, is already trending with multiple crystal ball projections to Florida.

Next. Rank. dark

So, it looks like Florida might even have a top-10 class soon, reminding Gator fans that good things come to those who wait.

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