Florida Gators Football

Kamari Wilson, a class of 2022 5-star safety from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, will attend Florida.

Blake Alderman of 247Sports reported Wilson chose Florida on Wednesday after taking an official visit to the school this past weekend.

Per 247Sports' composite rankings, the 6'0", 200-pound Wilson is ranked 28th in his class overall, second among safeties and fifth overall from Florida. 

Wilson fielded 33 offers, including ones from Georgia, Texas A&M, Alabama and Notre Dame. In the end, he chose the Gators, who have added a potentially dominant force in their secondary.

Wilson racked up 114 tackles, five interceptions and five touchdowns during his sophomore year in 2019 for Westwood High School in Fort Pierce, Florida.

He decided to transfer to IMG Academy before the 2020 season and announced his decision on social media:

"It was a super tough decision," Wilson added, per Jon Santucci of Treasure Coast Newspapers.

"I love this football team so much, and I didn't want to leave it. IMG is going to give me the tutors that I need to succeed academically. I don't have to worry about violence there. I can just go there and focus on school and football."

He also mentioned academics as a reason for his move.

"The thing that got me thinking about transferring was my grades," Wilson said.

"I'm a 3.2 (grade point average) student, but I had some C's during the third quarter because I had some struggles staying focused. I don't think that will be an issue for me at IMG. I'll have tutors for every class, and I think that will really help a lot."

Wilson played his 2020 season at IMG Academy. In the summer of 2021, he excelled at the Future 50 event, per Chad Simmons of On3 Sports:

Wilson was heavily tipped to play at Georgia at one time, with many of the 247Sports prognosticators projecting as much.

However, Wilson will head to rival Florida, which went 6-6 in 2021.

The Gators will be under new leadership in 2022 as Louisiana-Lafayette's Billy Napier now runs the show in Gainesville. 

Adding a player like Wilson is a huge get for Napier as he looks to establish his footprint in the SEC and in the Sunshine State.

Florida confirmed Sunday that it has hired Louisiana-Lafayette's Billy Napier as its next head football coach.

Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated first reported the hire.

Napier has a 39-12 record across four seasons at Louisiana, leading the Ragin' Cajuns to a 11-1 record so far in 2021. The team is set to compete in the Sun Belt Championship Game on Saturday at home against Appalachian State.

After taking over a squad that went 5-7 in 2017, Napier led Louisiana to a 7-7 record and a bowl appearance in his first season as a head coach. The squad then went 11-3 in 2019, the first season with double-digit wins in school history.

The Ragin' Cajuns have now accomplished the feat in three straight years, including the 10-1 mark in 2020 that ended with a win in the First Responder Bowl.

Prior to his time as a head coach, the 42-year-old gained experience at some of the top programs in the country, including as an offensive coordinator at Clemson and receivers coach at Alabama. The former Furman quarterback also served as offensive coordinator at Arizona State in 2017.

The Tennessee native fill the vacancy left by Dan Mullen, who was fired last Sunday after a 5-6 start to the season.

Mullen produced a 34-15 record across four seasons at Florida, earning wins in the Orange Bowl and Peach Bowl before reaching the SEC Championship Game last season. A slow start to 2021 ended his tenure, showing the high expectations for this program.

Napier will be expected to get the Gators back to national-title contention in a hurry.   

The Florida Gators reportedly have their eyes on Billy Napier to become their next head football coach. 

Per Ross Dellenger and Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated, the Louisiana head coach has emerged as the top choice to replace Dan Mullen. 

SI noted if a deal is reached at some point within the next week, Napier would still coach Louisiana against Appalachian State in the Sun Belt Conference championship game on Dec. 4. 

Florida's athletic department announced on Nov. 21 a parting of ways with Mullen one day after a 24-23 loss to Missouri. The Gators had a 5-6 record overall with one game remaining in the regular season. 

Special teams coordinator/running backs coach Greg Knox is filling in as head coach for Saturday's game against Florida State. 

Mullen was hired by the Gators in November 2017 after he spent nine seasons as head coach at Mississippi State. The 49-year-old went 34-15 in 49 games at Florida with one appearance in the SEC Championship Game (2020). 

Napier is in his fourth season as head coach of the Ragin' Cajuns. After a 7-7 record in his first year with the program, the 42-year-old has gone 31-5 in 36 games since the start of 2019. 

Prior to being hired by Louisiana, Napier had extensive experience as an assistant coach with several top-tier programs. He was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Clemson for Dabo Swinney's first two seasons from 2009 to 2010. 

Napier spent five seasons over two stints at Alabama. He worked as an analyst for the Crimson Tide in 2011 and wide receivers coach from 2013 to 2016. 

Before Napier's hiring at Louisiana, the program posted three consecutive losing seasons under Mark Hudspeth.     

Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz doesn't seem too upset that Dan Mullen lost his job as head coach of Florida this week.

"My father was a farmer, and there's an old saying you reap what you sow," Drinkwitz told reporters Tuesday. "If you sow kindness, you reap kindness. If you sow jackass, you reap jackass."

Missouri earned a 24-23 overtime win over Florida on Saturday, leading to Mullen's firing after the Gators fell to 5-6 on the season.

There is history between these two teams after an on-field brawl during the 2020 matchup led to five suspensions and Mullen being fined for running onto the field. 

Florida won that game 41-17 before Mullen showed up to the postgame press conference waring his Darth Vader Halloween costume:

Drinkwitz clearly didn't forget the moment, breaking out a lightsaber during Saturday's press conference to continue the Star Wars theme.

"May the force be with you," he told reporters.

Missouri is 6-5 during Drinkwitz's second season with the program and is looking for its first bowl appearance since 2018.   

Dan Mullen's tenure as head coach of the Florida Gators is over.

Florida fired Mullen on Sunday after going just 5-6 to start the 2021 campaign, the team announced. 

Mullen tweeted out a statement on Sunday to show his appreciation for the opportunity:

Chris Low of ESPN first reported the news.

Florida suffered a 24-23 loss to Missouri on Saturday, dropping the squad to just 2-6 in SEC play. 

The Gators looked to be well on their way to a strong season even in defeat when they lost a 31-29 thriller to Alabama in their SEC opener in September. That they followed the loss with a convincing win over rival Tennessee did nothing to quell the confidence.

However, the season went downhill from there.

Florida lost to Kentucky, dropped a game to a mediocre LSU squad and was then blown out by Georgia. Yet the low point may have come during a 40-17 loss to South Carolina to begin November, which dropped the Gators to 4-5 and left even a bowl game appearance somewhat in doubt.

"I didn't see it coming. I'm obviously really disappointed," Mullen told reporters after the game. "Wasn't seeing the game play out this way, so very disappointed. I know our players are very disappointed."

USA Today's Dan Wolken suggested the coach's career at Florida was at a "crossroads" after the stunning loss.

Mullen was already under the microscope prior to the loss for a comment he made about recruiting. He told reporters, "We're in the season right now. We'll do recruiting after the season" after he was asked about losing two top commits.

Although he later clarified to reporters the comment was taken out of context and the "staff recruits nonstop," the loss only magnified the existing criticism.

Mullen's tenure with the Gators trended in the wrong direction following an impressive start.

They went 10-3 with a Peach Bowl win over Michigan in his first year in 2018 and then built on that at 11-2 with an Orange Bowl win over Virginia in 2019. However, they were just 8-4 in 2020 during a season they capped off with a 35-point loss to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.

It's somewhat surprising he never fully found his footing with the Gators considering he impressed at Mississippi State during a tenure that lasted from 2009 through 2017.

The Bulldogs went 69-46 overall under Mullen and made a bowl game in seven of his seasons at the helm. Considering they had only made eight total bowl games since 1981 when he took over, it was quite an accomplishment.

They were even ranked No. 1 at one point during a 2014 campaign that saw them finish 10-3. It was just the second time since 1940 the program won double-digit games in a season.

Alas, the coach who overachieved at Mississippi State was unable to accomplish the program's goals at Florida and is now out of a job.

Florida isn't planning to fire head football coach Dan Mullen before the regular season ends, according to CBSSports.com's Dennis Dodd.

A number of notable FBS schools have already moved on from their head coaches. Virginia Tech is the most recent to enter the coaching carousel after parting ways with Justin Fuente on Tuesday.

With the Gators sitting at 5-5, many have wondered whether Mullen is living on borrowed time in Gainesville.

Dodd laid out one of the biggest challenges Florida would face if it fired Mullen: the absence of a clear replacement.

No Urban Meyer-like candidate is on the board. When the Gators hired Meyer ahead of the 2005 season, he was a home run hire, and he guided the program to two national championships.

Not only is there a dearth of prominent coaches either out of work or looking to move up in prestige, but the Gators would also be competing with USC, LSU and Washington for the top names available.

Florida's last coaching search showed how difficult it can be to evaluate the suitability of experienced coaches with proven track records.

In 2017, the school pursued Chip Kelly to replace Jim McElwain, only to see him select UCLA instead. The Bruins are 16-25 under Kelly, and his subpar recruiting would've made him a poor fit at a top-tier SEC power. Florida would probably be in a worse position if Kelly had chosen the Gators.

Things aren't going well under Mullen. The Gators haven't closed the gap on Alabama or Georgia, and some have raised concerns about his ability to attract blue-chip talent.

However, the extent to which Florida is struggling could be a blip.

Jim Harbaugh looked to be a dead man walking after Michigan went 2-4 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Instead, he got an extension that effectively makes it easier to fire him, and the Wolverines are on track to make a New Year's Six bowl at 9-1.

The Gators fired defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and offensive line coach John Hevesy shortly after a 40-17 defeat to South Carolina.

Given the coaching landscape, it might make sense to give Mullen one more year with a new defensive coordinator.

Florida head coach Dan Mullen is taking the high road after his team got a scare Saturday before pulling away from Samford in a 70-52 win. 

Speaking to reporters after the game, Mullen said calling any victory disappointing "is disrespectful to the game and our players."

Per Adam Dubbin of Gators Wire, at least one betting sportsbook had the Gators favored by 35.5 points. 

Samford, an FCS program, entered this game with a 4-5 record. The Bulldogs have never beaten an FBS school since bringing back their football program in 1984 (0-25). 

Despite everything seemingly working against Samford, it didn't play scared against an SEC opponent. The Bulldogs led by as many as 14 points late in the second quarter and had a 42-35 advantage at halftime. 

The Gators came alive in the second half with 35 points to secure the win. This marks the first time they have scored at least 70 points in a game since November 2008 against the Citadel (70-19). 

This has been a frustrating season for Florida. It started the year ranked No. 13 in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll, played Alabama close before falling 31-29 and climbed to No. 10 in the rankings as recently as Oct. 2. 

Before this weekend, though, Florida was on a three-game losing streak. It was outscored 74-24 in back-to-back losses against Georgia and South Carolina. 

Saturday's win won't change anyone's opinion of Mullen or the Gators in 2021, but they at least have something positive to build on with two games remaining in the regular season.    

Julian Humphrey, a four-star cornerback prospect from Houston, has committed to the Georgia Bulldogs after decommitting from Florida last month, according to ESPN's Tom VanHaaren. 

Humphrey is the second player to commit to Georgia in as many days. He joins wide receiver Raymond Cottrell—another previous Gators commit—who made a pledge to the Bulldogs on Thursday. 

Humphrey committed to Florida in May but decided to switch his committment after visiting Georgia and a few other schools, per VanHaaren. According to The Athletic, he was also considering LSU and Texas A&M. 

Humphrey explained his decision during a live broadcast on CBS Sports HQ, per 247Sports:

“Georgia is DBU," he said. "I think they had (four) DBs drafted last year, that’s like a record. Once I seen that, that clicked instantly—they must be doing something different from all those other schools. I’m like OK, that’s something I would love to be part of for sure, be developed like those guys.”

Humphrey is rated as the No. 94 overall prospect and 12th cornerback prospect in the Class of 2022. National Recruiting Expert Chris Singletary provided the following scouting report, via 247Sports:

"Muscular player with a good broad shoulders. Along with a powerful build lower half you have an athlete with twitch and burst. With his long arms and wingspan his has added tools to his 6-foot-1 build that benefit him in both man and zone coverage. Possessing elite speed with verified track times you see that it is able to translate to the field in his playmaking ability. Good with eye placement in man coverage as well as the ability to stay in phase with the receiver. In zone coverage he shows his instincts to key and diagnose with leverage on the receiver in his area with solid route recognition. Willing tackler that is not afraid to make a play. Solid with ability to flip his hips, cod and transition out of his peddle to break on the ball. He has done a good job of trending upward from his junior year with being more consistent and added strength."

Singletary currently projects Humphrey will be a second- or third-round NFL draft pick. However, it's still early to speculate on his draft stock. 

The Bulldogs' 2022 class is now ahead of Alabama for the top spot in the nation. With Humphrey committed, Georgia now has nine top-100 prospects in the 2022 class, per The Athletic. The school also has two five-star recruits in linebacker Malaki Starks and defensive lineman Mykel Williams.

It's unsurprising that Georgia continues to land the best prospects in football. The Bulldogs are ranked first in the AP Top 25 and are undefeated this season. Florida, meanwhile, is struggling at 4-5 and has the eighth-ranked 2022 prospect pool in the SEC, per ESPN.  

Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson injured his knee dancing at the team hotel Friday prior to the Gators' 40-17 loss to South Carolina on Saturday.

Head coach Dan Mullen said Monday that the redshirt freshman would have been available to play against the Gamecocks if the circumstances required it. An MRI on Richardson's knee didn't show any significant damage.

To some extent, the arc of Richardson's season mirrors that of his team.

The 6'4" signal-caller threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns while running for 275 yards and two scores in Florida's first two games. Some were already calling for him to replace Emory Jones as the starting quarterback.

Richardson was unavailable against Alabama as the Gators fell 31-29 and maintained a level of respect in a losing effort.

Mullen's squad has since gone into a tailspin, and a 34-7 defeat to Georgia seemed to show the head coach was justified all along in waiting to turn the reins over to Richardson.

With less than three minutes left in the first half, Florida was trailing 3-0. Richardson lost a fumble and threw two interceptions on three successive drives as the Gators suddenly found themselves down 24-0 at halftime.

Perhaps things would've gone differently against South Carolina if Richardson had been healthy, but Jones put together a good enough stat line (17-of-30, 258 yards, two touchdowns and one interception).

Mullen could've had Tom Brady under center and it wouldn't have helped a defense that allowed the Gamecocks to gain 459 yards, including 284 on the ground. The performance cost defensive coordinator Todd Grantham his job.

The circumstances surrounding Richardson's injury add to a season Mullen and Florida fans will soon want to forget.

The Florida Gators football program has reportedly fired defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and offensive line coach John Hevesy, sources told ESPN's Chris Low. 

The decision comes after the South Carolina Gamecocks defeated the Gators 40-17 on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Florida's third straight defeat on Saturday dropped the Gators to 4-5. The team is now tied for the second-worst overall record in the SEC East. 

Grantham had been at Florida since the school hired Dan Mullen as head coach before the 2018 season. He has also coached at Mississippi State, Louisville, Georgia and has held jobs with the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts. 

Defense has been a weak point for the Gators this season, allowing 353.6 yards and 24.7 points per game. They've been trending downward as well, giving up at least 30 points in each of their last three games. 

Meanwhile, Hevesy had worked under Mullen since the Gators head coach was at Mississippi State in 2009. Hevesy's offensive line had been underperforming all season. Quarterback Emory Jones is the Gators' leading rusher, while Dameon Pierce and Malik Davis have combined for just 695 rushing yards. 

The Gators have just three games remaining this season against Samford, Missouri and Florida State, all of which are unranked. If the team continues to struggle, Mullen could be out of a head coaching job before the 2022 season kicks off. 

Florida's decline began during the 2020 season, when it finished 8-4. Before that, the team was 21-5 in Mullen's first two seasons at the helm. In his four seasons at Florida, Mullen is 33-14. His five defeats so far this season are the most of his tenure with the Gators.