Fact or Fiction: Billy Napier can turn things around at Florida
Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney and national recruiting analysts Adam Friedman and Sam Spiegelman along with Jason Higdon of 1stAndTenFlorida.com tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
1. Dabo Swinney really does need to change and use the portal more.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. An injection of transfer portal could not hurt and I disagree with coach Dabo Swinney that most of the players that went in the portal couldn’t play for Clemson (especially the top group of prospects) but the Tigers program is as much about a certain culture than any in the program. Georgia relies heavily on high school recruiting and development to build a national power. Others do the same. One of the real issues is that D.J. Uiagalelei was not as good as expected and Cade Klubnik has not been a blockbuster yet, either. If you don’t have an elite quarterback, you’re going to have issues. Swinney should be more open to taking pieces through the portal but he doesn’t need to change his winning ways because Georgia slapped them. Georgia crushes almost everybody.
Spiegelman’s take: FACT. Dabo Swinney has continued to try and sustain Clemson success through simply high school recruiting, which in 2024 is antiquated. The teams vying for spots in the college football playoff are being assembled, not only through high school recruiting but via the transfer portal, which like an NFL front office allows teams to have immediate impact players as well as touted prospects that they can develop through their system. if Clemson was winning marquee games like the one against Georgia last weekend or recruiting at such a high clip that they had a roster full of instant impact players, then Swinney‘s methods might yield different. Clemson isn’t recruiting at that same clip and the lack of roster assembly through the portal is becoming evident .
2. Billy Napier can save this at Florida despite some immense pressure.
Gorney’s take: FACT. It’s going to be very tough but it can be done because my guess is that Miami is going to be much better than expected this season – a playoff run is very much within reach – and Florida just ran into a buzzsaw in the season opener. The difficult part especially in Gainesville is that the fan base might be turning on Billy Napier and it’s nearly impossible to come back from that.
And the schedule is just murder. The next month is tough enough but I’m eyeing that November stretch where the Gators have to play Georgia, Texas, LSU and Ole Miss in four-straight weeks. That might just be the stretch that really ends the Napier era in Florida or it could be a month where Florida shows a lot of promise and progress since he’s clearly a smart coach with a plan but it’s been slow to take in Gainesville so far.
Higdon’s take: FACT. Billy Napier and the Gators have 11 games remaining on the 2024 schedule. The Gators must win six out of the remaining 11 games to finish no worse than 6-6 on the season. Anything less than that, and you might see a change in Gainesville.
3. It’s early but the 2024 WR class is proving to be the best in Rivals history.
Gorney’s take: FACT. There have been other elite wide receiver classes in Rivals history but they’re only reinforced because we know many of their names as some of the best receivers in the NFL. The players in this 2024 class will follow suit and go even beyond many of their successes.
Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith is off to a phenomenal start with two touchdown catches in his first college game. I’ve said numerous times he’s the best high school receiver since Julio Jones. Alabama’s Ryan Williams had two catches in the Crimson Tide’s season opener, both for touchdowns and he averaged nearly 70 yards per catch. Auburn’s Cam Coleman had a strong start with a touchdown catch. Teammate Perry Thompson also had a touchdown and Texas loves Ryan Wingo, who led the team in receiving yards in the season opener.
Sure, there are many other huge classes but we haven’t even talked about Micah Hudson, Mike Matthews and so many others in the 2024 class. For my money, it will end up as the best receiver class in Rivals history dating back to 2002.
Friedman’s take: FICTION. There’s no doubt the 2024 receiver class was special but don’t forget about some of the other groups of receivers from the past. Other classes of receivers to consider here include 2022 (Luther Burden, Tetairoa McMillan, Evan Stewart and Isaiah Bond), 2017 (Jerry Jeudy, Tee Higgins, Ceedee Lamb, Devonta Smith and Henry Ruggs), and 2011 (Jarvis Landry, Sammy Watkins, Odell Beckham Jr. and Kelvin Benjamin). Of course, the gold standard for receivers is the 2008 class with future Hall-of-Famers Julio Jones and A.J. Green at the top of the list.
There’s no doubt the 2024 class of receivers were elite. Jeremiah Smith, Ryan Williams, Cam Coleman, Micah Hudson, Mike Matthews, Jeremiah McClellan, Perry Thompson, Mylan Graham, Terrance Moore, Cam Williams, Ryan Wingo, and others already have or are expected to make an impact at some point this season. With this kind of depth and talent, the 2024 receiver class is tracking to be the best in Rivals history but they haven’t proven it just yet.
