OPINION: Billy Napier looks good at Florida… but can he land the best?

There’s a tendency among college football fans to overreact to the slightest disappointment on the recruiting trail. Florida’s first-year coach Billy Napier has missed on a few big-name recruits in his short time at the helm, but it’s his latest miss that has even the most patient of fans wondering if the new man in charge is out of his depth.

In case you missed it, the No. 2 recruit in the class of 2023, cornerback Cormani McClain, committed to the University of Miami over Florida and Alabama on Thursday. It was a shocking development in a recruitment that seemed to favor Florida significantly. McClain had been to the Swamp over half a dozen times over the past two years and had several experts project him to land with UF.

This isn’t the first time Mario Cristobal and Miami have beat Napier and Co. for a high-priority target either. The Hurricanes were arguably the hottest team of the summer thanks to some incredible success on the recruiting trail, including the commitments of four-star quarterback Jaden Rashada and five-star offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa. Both were priority targets for the Gators, and Napier even penned an open letter asking for patience following the Rashada announcement.

In fairness to Florida’s head coach and recruiting staff, the Gators have put together a top-10 class since then that’s composed mostly of four-star players. UF ranks No. 9 in the team recruiting rankings on both 247Sports and On3 and only fell below Miami after missing out on McClain.

But that begs the question of whether or not Florida will be able to achieve the kind of success it needs in the recruiting world to reach a College Football Playoff. A quick glance at the team rankings on either site says that Napier’s current class won’t be enough.

Florida is one of two teams in the top 13 without a five-star recruit under verbal commitment (the other being LSU at No. 7). A year ago, Oklahoma was the only program to finish in the top 13 without a five-star recruit. The Sooners haven’t been relevant this season since Week 4, and it’s easy to see a similar situation playing out in Gainesville over the next year.

For comparison, the Georgias and Alabamas of the world have signed at least three five-star recruits in each of the past four recruiting cycles. That’s what it takes to be at the top of the SEC and all of college football.

So far, Napier hasn’t shown that he’s able to close like Kirby Smart and Nick Saban. Instead, he’s being outclassed, or perhaps outbid, by another first-year head coach at an in-state program that’s frankly produced worse results on the field through eight weeks.

So what’s the solution?

It’s far too early to think about a potential buyout. Napier doesn’t even have his guys on the field for the most part. He’s working with a flawed roster assembled by an apathetic recruiter and Todd Grantham. Napier deserves a shot at a full season with a team that’s fully bought into his culture and plan.

But it’s also wrong to ask the fanbase to sit idly by while a pattern that’s proven to lead to a large skill gap in the conference plays out. Florida has the resources and profile to attract the best names in the state, but it’s time for the Gators to close on one of them.

Florida is still in the race for a handful of undecided recruits in the top 50. Edge rusher Qua Russaw might have the strongest connection with the school, but it could be tough to land both him and defensive lineman James Smith, who is expected to be a package deal with Russaw. Desmond Ricks recently re-classified to the class of 2023 and is the second-highest-ranked cornerback behind McClain, but Alabama wants him too.

Landing all three would bring Florida back into the top-5 conversation, but it should only take one to keep Napier safe from a burning hot seat in year two. Some in Gator Nation may think that’s too easy of an out for him, but instant gratification can be misleading. Napier’s trying to change the entire program, and on-the-field talent only goes so far. Plus, let’s not forget that he and Corey Raymond worked to bring in five-star safety Kamari Wilson in the 2022 cycle with just two months to get the job done.

Still, Dan Mullen proved that you can’t out-coach a talent gap in the SEC, and Napier knew the challenge he was taking on when he accepted the job. His message has remained steady, and most of the early returns have been good.

It’s just that good isn’t enough at the University of Florida. This program’s history demands greatness, and the fan base demands perfection. Napier won’t back down from that challenge, but he’s certainly hit a roadblock or two in his first year and the McClain decision emphasized that to the masses.

An old coach of mine used to hit us with a phrase popularized by the pastor Charles Swindoll during times of adversity: “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”

It’s time for Napier (and the Gator Collective) to react.

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Story originally appeared on Gators Wire