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Massive recruiting win gives Florida HC Billy Napier extra leverage entering 2025 season
Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier gained leverage ahead of a pivotal 2025 season when 2026 ESPN 300 five-star recruit JaReylan McCoy committed to the program.
The defensive end is the highest-ranked recruit in Florida's surging 2026 class. Per On3, the Gators ranked outside the top 25 in its rankings two weeks ago but have since risen to No. 13.
Florida has jumped from outside the top-25 to No. 13 in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings over the past two weeks
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) June 14, 2025
Gators are ROLLING! https://t.co/Omvx50Ih6p pic.twitter.com/yX30jTKXAn
McCoy is the No. 9 overall player in ESPN's high school prospect rankings and top Florida recruit. Per ESPN's Eli Lederman, the 6-foot-7, 260-pound edge chose Florida over SEC rivals LSU and Texas.
McCory originally committed to LSU in January 2025.
Napier scored another huge recruiting win this month with McCoy's decision to enroll at Florida.
On June 3, four-star safety Kaiden Hall committed, followed five days later by four-star wideout Justin Williams.
BREAKING: Four-Star Safety Kaiden Hall has Committed to Florida, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 3, 2025
The 6’3 200 S from Milton, FL chose the Gators over Alabama, Florida State, & Oklahoma
“Building something special for the next few years!! #gogators”https://t.co/RUejPVnxsi pic.twitter.com/Ib2TlBzQO7
The Gators added another four-star wide receiver, Marquez Daniel, on Saturday.
Despite limited on-field success in three seasons as Gators head coach, Napier's strong recruiting class should give him extra job security ahead of the 2025 season.
In February, The Athletic's Seth Emerson ranked Napier No. 2 in his SEC coaching hot seat rankings.
Through his first three seasons at Florida (2022-24), Napier has a 19-19 record, including 1-1 in bowl games. He posted his first winning season last year, going 8-5 and leading the Gators to a Gasparilla Bowl win.
2024 five-star quarterback recruit D.J. Lagway had a promising freshman season, winning late-season home games against LSU and Ole Miss, eliminating both from the College Football Playoff conversation.
While expectations might be higher for the Gators, they could find it difficult to improve much from last season.
Per ESPN's Football Power Index, Florida has the country's toughest strength of schedule. It should begin the season 2-0 with games against FCS Long Island and South Florida, but a brutal stretch follows.
Florida plays LSU and Miami in back-to-back weeks on the road. Following a bye, it hosts Texas, then travels to Texas A&M. The Gators also play Georgia and Tennessee in The Swamp while getting Ole Miss on the road.
It's a daunting schedule with several land mines. Florida is unlikely to emerge unscathed, but Napier might.
With his recruiting success, the Gators would risk losing their talented prospects by firing Napier should Florida underwhelm this fall.
According to Reuters, Daniel, an Alabama native, explained his decision to commit to Florida by saying, "What makes Florida stand out to me are the coaching staff. Coach Napier is really a great coach."
McCoy also praised Napier and the coaching staff, crediting the "family atmosphere" as a major draw in his choice.
Florida isn't the power it once was, and it's unclear whether Napier is the right coach to return the program to glory. But with every high-profile recruit who commits to the Gators, the chances increase that he'll be around in 2026.
More must-reads:
- Virginia Tech suffers huge recruiting loss to fledgling 2026 class
- Florida State lands recruiting win in four-star WR Brandon Bennett
- The 'MLB mascot names' quiz
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CBS Sports ranks Michigan's 2025 schedule to the rest of the Big Ten Conference
After three-straight College Football Playoff appearances, Sherrone Moore's first year as the head coach of Michigan didn't go as planned. The Wolverines were 5-5 after 10 games, and Michigan had to shuffle through three QBs before going back to its original starter, Davis Warren. Even with an anemic passing attack, Michigan found a way to beat Northwestern, Ohio State, and Alabama to finish 2024 with an 8-5 record. Expectations are now high in Ann Arbor for 2025. Michigan will feature a new-look passing attack with OC Chip Lindsey and five-star freshman Bryce Underwood behind center. Plus, the Wolverines' schedule isn't all that daunting. There is no Texas, Oregon, Illinois, or Indiana on the slate. Michigan does have to go to Oklahoma, Nebraska, and USC -- but save for the final game against Ohio State -- the rest is more than winnable. CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli ranked the Big Ten schedule by toughest to easiest, and Michigan came in at No. 12 in the conference. Fornelli has Wisconsin ranked at No. 1, having the toughest road in 2025. "I can already hear the angry cries of Michigan fans who want to know how a schedule that includes Ohio State and a road game against Oklahoma could be this easy, but take it up with Oklahoma. The Sooners are averaging 7.3 wins per year under Brent Venables. Don't get me wrong, the game carries weight, but it would've carried a lot more in 2021. Anyway, outside of those two games, this schedule isn't overbearing. Road trips to Nebraska and USC won't be easy, but the home slate is extremely manageable outside Ohio State and a four-game stretch of Michigan State, Purdue, Northwestern and Maryland before that game seems beneficial." Coach Moore will be suspended for the Nebraska game, but if Michigan can go 2-1 against the Sooners, Huskers, and USC, it's likely a Big Ten Championship birth will be on the line when Michigan sees the Buckeyes in Ann Arbor this year. And if Michigan can beat Ohio State for the fifth year in a row, a College Football Playoff birth is also more than likely.
Mikey Keene holds off Bryce Underwood longer than expected, and a new defensive star highlight Michigan Hot Takes heading into 2025 season
Top moments from 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame inductions
The 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame class had its day in Cooperstown on Sunday. This year's class included Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, who were elected by the eligible voters from the Baseball Writer's Association of America, and Dave Parker and Dick Allen, who were elected by the Classic Baseball Era Committee. Here are some of the top highlights from Sunday's induction speeches. Dave Parker's son reads poem written by Hall of Fame father Parker's induction into the Hall of Fame was long overdue, and he sadly did not have the opportunity to enjoy the moment of seeing his name in the Hall of Fame as he died June 28. That left his speech in the hands of his son, Dave Parker II, who read a poem written by his dad. Parker spent the majority of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates where he was an MVP winner, two-time batting champion and World Series champion with the 1979 "We Are Family" team. Dick Allen's wife remembers his kindness Allen was the other veterans committee inductee, and his widow, Willa Allen, spent the majority of her speech remember the kindness of Allen off the field as much as his ability on the field. Allen is going into the Hall of Fame as a Phillie but won the 1972 American League MVP with the Chicago White Sox. He led the league in OPS four times and was the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year. A reminder that Billy Wagner wasn't naturally left-handed Being left-handed is a huge advantage (and money-maker) for pitchers, and Wagner was one of the most dominant left-handed relief pitchers to ever step onto a mound in the big leagues. But he wasn't always left-handed. Wagner was a natural-born right-handed person but taught himself how to throw left-handed after fracturing his right arm twice as a kid. It led to quite a career. Wagner made a name for himself with the Houston Astros but also spent years with the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox. CC Sabathia takes playful dig at Ichiro Sabathia accomplished a ton in his 19-year big league career. He won 251 games, won the 2007 American League Cy Young Award, was the 2009 ALCS MVP and a World Series champion. He still has apparently not gotten over the one individual award he did not win — the 2001 American League Rookie of the Year Award, which went to fellow 2025 inductee Ichiro. Sabathia made sure to make a playful dig at that. Sabathia was the only American League rookie outside of Ichiro — who also won the American League MVP that year — to get a first-place vote. He received one. The others all went to Ichiro. Ichiro stole the show Ichiro stole 509 bases in his Hall of Fame career, and on Sunday, he added one more steal to his list of accomplishments by absolutely stealing the show at Cooperstown. He delivered two of the best lines of the day, first by calling out the one lone writer who did not vote for him, keeping him from being just the second unanimous Hall of Fame inductee ever (after Mariano Rivera). His best line of the day, however, might have been when he referenced his brief time as a member of the Miami Marlins toward the end of his career. Ichiro played 14 of his 19 seasons with the Seattle Mariners while also spending time with the Marlins and Yankees.
Why SS Bo Bichette's stellar play could cost Blue Jays
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Who reportedly has 'lost ground' in Colts' QB competition
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