There’s an air of excitement hovering over the Swamp right now. Not just stemming from the hardwood after the Natty win, but even the gridiron. Cautious excitement, but excitement nonetheless. Down the stretch last season, the Gators crawled out of muddy waters and breathed some fresh air. After true freshman QB DJ Lagway had to be fast-tracked into the lineup, Florida’s fortunes changed on their head. Not only did it earn head coach Billy Napier at least one more year to prove his mettle, it’s birthed a simmering notion that Florida can really make some noise in ‘25 and beyond.
The hype around DJ Lagway’s hype has permeated to the masses and media. There are credible football savants that believe Florida can withstand the treacherous SEC schedule and make the playoffs next season. That hype, naturally, has also permeated over to the recruitment front. Which O-lineman wouldn’t wanna feature in front of arguably the most promising quarterback in the country. Billy Napier, who’s also the offensive playcaller, realizes he needs protection for his centerpiece. A rather fragile centerpiece at that.
If there’s one knock on DJ Lagway, it’s that he’s a little injury-prone. At least so far through to this early juncture in his college football career. He’s even nursing an injury right now and didn’t participate fully in spring practice. Retooling the trenches via the portal is shrewd and sensible for Napier. He’s edging closer to achieving just that. Now conceded, an O-lineman from the class of ‘26 will likely just overlap with Lagway in Gainesville for one year, if at all. He’s draft eligible in 2027, and you probably aren’t starting a true freshman at the line of scrimmage. Except, Florida’s recruitment pitch to the player is that he can come and play off the jump. It makes sense with a talent of G’nivre Carr’s ilk. Especially when he’s already got a 6’4, 325lb frame entering his senior year in high school.
4-star G’nivre Carr is a Florida native out of Bradenton IMG Academy. It’s a well-known hotbed for Gators recruitment, and Billy Napier is known to circle around from time to time himself. Carr has reciprocated this, making 3 visits on campus just this year. Well, those visits sure left a mark. On3’s Florida insider Blake Alderman has just logged an expert prediction for UF to land G’nivre Carr. There is a belief that a chance to play as a freshman is what swung this recruitment in the Gators’ favor.
Florida insider @Blake_Alderman has logged an expert prediction for the Gators to land a top offensive target
View: https://t.co/6NqGdObimt pic.twitter.com/7bu7mgb38S
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) April 17, 2025
“I want to play,” G’nivre Carr said to GatorsOnline. “I don’t want to be a redshirt freshman, I want to be a freshman and play. [Florida are] losing five guys. They’re losing two tackles, I want to say two guards, and they’re losing a center. So, two guards is perfect for me because that’s what I play. And I’m going to have an opportunity to compete for that position, so I think it’s gonna be great,” he added. With all these exits on the horizon, Billy Napier could really do with a plug-and-play type of guy. Carr does project as one, especially with that physical build. He’s even a Gators fan. “[My mom’s] from Gainesville, she’s a Gator fan…So it runs in the blood. My whole family is Gator,” he said. Things are trending well for Napier pertaining to Carr, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.
Despite the G’nivre Carr revelation, Billy Napier has bad news to contend with elsewhere
Unfortunately for the Florida Gators, the DJ Lagway factor doesn’t quite resonate with the other side of the football. Florida’s defensive staff has undergone a complete overhaul this offseason. It’s a unit in a state of flux, with up to 3 co-defensive coordinators on Billy Napier’s crew. One of these is new safeties coach Vinnie Sunseri. A former 2x national champ with Alabama. However, that hasn’t helped keep a top safety prospect on their commit list.
4-star Devin Jackson has decommitted from Florida, reports Hayes Fawcett of On3. The Orlando native seemingly got cold feet after seeing the turnover in the staff and has reopened his recruitment. Billy Napier and the program have wanted to build a fence around the state of Florida. Have recruits in close proximity remain in the confines of the Sunshine State. But while that’s working with G’nivre Carr, it’s not enough to keep hold of Devin Jackson.
The vibes in and around Gainesville are really good right now after that National Championship in basketball. However, that puts a certain amount of pressure on Billy Napier and the football operation. Which is historically the bread and butter of the school. It remains to be seen whether the Gators can indeed land G’nivre Carr and continue trending in the right direction. Momentum is a precious commodity. While the Devin Jackson news isn’t ideal, the program does have some thrust behind itself right now.
The post 325lb OL Jackpot Nearly Confirmed for Billy Napier After Florida Receives Unfortunate News appeared first on EssentiallySports.
