WATCH: Tim Tebow narrates Florida National Signing Day hype video
It’s a new day for the Florida Gators, as the program will finalize its first recruiting class under head coach Billy Napier during Wednesday’s National Signing Day.
As it stands, Florida currently has the No. 28 recruiting class in the country according to the On3 Team Rankings, having pulled in seven four-star recruits and nine three-star recruits. Of course, Florida could make a late push, should it be able to flip some prospects on the last day.
Heading into National Signing Day, Florida posted a hype video titled “A New Day,” narrated by program legend Tim Tebow.Tim Tebow discusses Billy Napier relationship, what has to change at Florida
Tim Tebow discusses Billy Napier relationship, what has to change at Florida
No one knows how to succeed at Florida quite like former quarterback Tim Tebow, who helped lead the Gators to two national championships in 2006 and 2008, and Tebow believes that new head coach Billy Napier can bring the program back to the top of college football.
In four seasons under former head coach Dan Mullen, Florida had its best season by record in 2019, when the Gators went 11-2 and finished with an Orange Bowl victory. One year later, in 2020, Florida managed to clinch a spot in the SEC Championship game, but the 2021 season saw Florida’s program take a turn. The Gators fell from an AP Poll ranking as high as No. 10 to finish with a 6-7 overall record, including a loss in the Gasparilla Bowl, and Mullen was fired midway through the season. Now, under Napier, Florida’s future looks bright — and Tebow agrees.
Tebow said he’s known Napier for a while now, and he expressed excitement in the Florida program with the former Louisiana-Lafayette coach at the helm.
“I’ve had the chance to get to know Napier over the last couple of years,” Tebow said on The Paul Finebaum Show. “I think he’s a coach that really loves young men. He really loves developing. He loves building culture. I think he’s really excited about this opportunity, and he should be. Florida is a great place. A new facility I think is going to help.”
Napier turned Louisiana into a Sun Belt powerhouse in his four seasons at the helm, amassing a 40-12 record and coaching the Ragin’ Cajuns to four bowl games in his tenure. He was named Sun Belt Coach of the Year twice, but Tebow exercised caution in discussing an immediate turnaround at Florida — after all, the stakes are higher in the SEC.
“I do feel like there’s going to be some — I wouldn’t call it learning curves because I think he’ll be able to figure that out, but I think getting used to the culture of Florida and everything is going to be really important,” Tebow said. “I think he’s very high-character. I think he’s done a great job with Louisiana. I think he’s got the chance — but it’s also so different going from a school that is not necessarily a powerhouse to one where there is so much pressure on you. I think that’s when he’s going to need support, you need to have a great relationship with Mr. Stricklin, and really understand everything that comes with the Florida job. Because just like any big job, it’s not just coaching. It’s not just X’s and O’s. There’s so many things that you need to do as a head coach.