Florida football coach Billy Napier on keeping recruiting class together: 'It's a battle'
With four-star defensive lineman Nasir Johnson flipping his commitment from Florida football to Georgia on Wednesday, the Florida Gators have lost three top 250 ranked recruits from the Class of 2024 in the past five days.
The perception, fair or not, is that recruits are judging their decision based on the current state of the UF program. The Gators enter their matchup at No. 11 Missouri on Saturday at 5-5 and in danger of missing a bowl for the first time since 2017.
UF's 2024 recruiting class dropped from third to fourth nationally when defensive lineman Jamonta Waller and defensive back Wardell Mack dec-committed over the weekend. It could take another tumble in the rankings after the Johnson de-commitment.
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Recruiting concerns: Will Florida football keep prized 2024 class together through recent struggles?
Asked about the challenge of keeping a highly rated class together a month before National Signing Day, Napier responded: "It's a battle. I think — look, it's not this time of year. It's every day of the year. It's part of the job. Look, I would tell you, you win some, you lose some. I think it's highly competitive. I think it's good to have some players that everybody wants, truth be known.
"Look, it comes with the territory. I think recruiting challenges your resiliency. Ultimately for me, I think it's important that we get it right in the front end. We want players that have conviction about being here, that believe in the experience that they're going to have at the University of Florida relative to the degree, all the things that come along with being an alumni here, the resources that we have to offer as a football program."
Napier admitted a win or two before the end of the regular season and a bowl trip could help boost the momentum of the program heading into a critical offseason.
"This is a year-round battle that we do," Napier said. "We do it every year. We're right in the middle of some of those.
"I think momentum's real. Look, I think anyone would — at any profession, I think momentum is a key component, right? I think ultimately there's one way to get momentum back, and that's to go compete. We specifically have talked about that ...
"It's part of the challenge. It's part of the competition. I think recruiting is highly competitive. I enjoy it. There's always going to be some of that. It's not going away. So, you've got to get used to it."
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida football coach Billy Napier discusses recruiting challenges
