Florida Gators' resurgence should stretch into early signing period

The relationship-building is vital, and the sleek facilities alluring. Culture and climate factor in, as do playing time and projected depth charts. Name, image and likeness money, of course, is paramount.

All, to varying degrees, weigh significantly in the modern-day recruiting process, which seems to be getting more sophisticated each year. These days, it’s not enough for coaches to schmooze parents; they have to show ‘em the money, too. Still, some enticements remain as proven as they did in the polyester era. Want to get a five-star player on your campus? Just remember the three letters nearly as important as N-I-L.

“There’s nothing that is better for recruiting than winning,” Florida coach Billy Napier said.

That enduring philosophy is being proven in Gainesville, where the staggering rise of Napier’s 2025 recruiting class up the national rankings has been concurrent with his team’s stunning late-season success. Days before his team’s 49-17 loss at Texas, the Gators’ class was 50th in the 247Sports national rankings.

Today, in the wake of wins against LSU, Ole Miss and FSU, it’s 10th according to 247Sports and 11th according to On3.com.

“We’ve done a good job evaluating players and recruiting players,” Napier said following Saturday’s 31-11 romp over FSU in Tallahassee. “That’s not been our issue here. What we needed to do is prove ourselves on the grass, prove to recruits that we can teach and develop players and that our formula works, and win. … And I think we’ve done that for the last couple of weeks.”

Here’s a closer look at the Gators’ class — along with those assembled by USF, FSU, Miami and UCF — entering Wednesday, the start of the NCAA’s three-day early signing period for football. While the high school and junior college signees represent a large component of teams’ roster replenishments, even more significant additions could arrive when the NCAA transfer portal opens Monday.

Florida

On3.com national ranking: 11th

247Sports national ranking: 10th

Arguably no program in America is finishing this stage of the recruiting season stronger than Florida, which in a recent 15-day span convinced 11 players committed elsewhere to flip to UF, according to On3.com. Its latest coup: Getting four-star Jacksonville safety Hylton Stubbs to flip from Miami. Two offensive skill guys — Fort Lauderdale tailback Byron Louis and Jacksonville quarterback Tramell Jones — recently flipped from FSU. With breakout quarterback DJ Lagway recruiting alongside Napier, more announcements likely will be forthcoming. “I’m definitely going to be involved in the transfer portal and the recruiting class,” Lagway said, “but the biggest thing is keeping the guys that we have here.”

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The Seminoles lost no fewer than a half-dozen highly prominent pledges as their season went off the rails. The key for coach Mike Norvell is keeping his remaining pledges (notably Jacksonville interior offensive lineman Solomon Thomas and Georgia defensive lineman Kevin Wynn) on board. The rapid hiring of new coordinators (Gus Malzahn and Tony White) could help that effort; recruits know for whom they’ll be playing. Kevin Sperry, a three-star quarterback from Denton, Texas, and onetime Oklahoma pledge, could be a sleeper in the class.

Miami

Miami coach Mario Cristobal is expected to enter the early signing period with a class ranked among the top 15 nationally.

The 11th-hour flip of Stubbs put a dent in Mario Cristobal’s class, but it’s still teeming with four-star recruits, including Armwood 1,200-yard rusher Girard Pringle Jr. The only quarterback in the crop is three-star prospect Luke Nickel from Alpharetta, Georgia, suggesting Cristobal will tap into the portal for Cam Ward’s replacement or go with 6-foot-5 sophomore Emory Williams. Though the recruiting class features five defensive backs, look for Cristobal to also use the portal to replenish his beleaguered defense.

The Knights lost a handful of pledges during their late-season swoon, and it’s hard to ascertain how the resignation of coach Gus Malzahn will affect the class. The player to watch is Kissimmee Osceola 1,600-yard rusher Taevion Swint, who grew up an FSU fan but told the Orlando Sentinel on Saturday that he remains committed to the Knights (at least for now). Another four-star player in the class, Palm Beach Central safety Tony Williams, announced via social media Monday that he also remains committed to UCF. Also solid with their pledges are Tampa Bay Tech standouts Rukeem Stroud (cornerback) and Santonyo “Kozy” Isaac (receiver), who plan to sign Wednesday morning.

For the second year in a row, USF coach Alex Golesh is expected to land one of the best signing classes in the Group of Five.

For the second year in a row, the Bulls’ class should be among the best — if not the best — in the Group of Five. “This has been a really, really long time coming,” coach Alex Golesh said last week. “This is the first group that we’ve really had two years to recruit. Got some really integral parts. We’ve got to go finish, too.” The class currently includes four interior offensive linemen, three linebackers and three safeties. Offensive skill players include three-star receiver Jeremiah Koger of Baltimore’s St. Frances Academy, the nation’s No. 8 team according to MaxPreps. Three-star quarterback Locklan Hewlett has thrown for 2,500 yards and 28 TDs for St. Augustine, still alive in the Class 4A playoffs.