The Napier era in Florida is again in the spotlight, and for another wrong reason. The 2024 season was a boiling year for Florida, and Napier entered the year on the hot seat following a five-win season in 2022 and a six-win season in 2023. Being able to grab eight wins amidst one of the hardest schedules in the mix is still a thing, but it is not what the fans expect from a fourth-year head coach of the Gators. But that’s not the only reason he received a ton of threats on his job. The recruiting slump has been a major concern for Napier’s fate in Florida. He has a good chance to mend things in future recruitment, but it seems another big target is flying away from the radar.

To sum up his long-standing recruitment failure at Gainesville, Paul Finebaum once said, ‘‘When you make mistakes in staffing and hiring, you’re going to fail. He made multiple mistakes.” But in 2025, Billy tries to flip the script, swooping in some massive talents on the board. He flipped 26 commits, including standout WR Onis Konanbanny from Tennessee last month. A lot of kids among them are already turning heads at spring practice.

Looking ahead to the 2026 and 2027 classes, the Gators are currently gearing up for the Georgia sophomore TE Grant Haviland. The Gators are even at the highest-rated school (34 percent as per the ON3 prediction) to land Grant Haviland, but the situation seems to have taken a U-turn, and it seems the kid has his priorities set, at least for tomorrow.

The Georgia product has 18-plus offers after he capped off a highly productive sophomore season at Milton High School. He had contributed both as an excellent pass catcher and a dependable run blocker. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound player touched a high ceiling, luring schools. He has already taken several visits, and the next in line is Tennessee. Grant Haviland took to his X to let the other schools know that he would be all by the Vols this Friday.

Is it the right time for Josh Heupel to take an eye-for-an-eye approach, considering Onis Konanbanny’s backout last month? Well, time will reveal the rest, but believe us, we say it’s not just Tennessee standing between Napier’s big 2027 prey. They may be the immediate rival, but not the sole.

Other powerhouse schools are dominating Grant Haviland’s mind space 

Alabama and Kalen DeBoer have been some of the most prominent names in his recruitment streak so far. As per the ON3 prediction list, they have a nominal chance to woo Grant Haviland, but they are not as behind as their pen-and-paper projection.

“This offer means a lot to me, especially after watching them in the past and how dominant they’ve been,” Haviland told Touchdown Alabama. The tight end position was fairly spotlighted throughout Kalen DeBoer’s first season in Tuscaloosa as Alabama’s head coach, and it can be a landmark observation for Grant Haviland while making his final list of the schools.

“I like how they utilize multiple tight ends in their offense and use them in both the run and pass game,” Grant Haviland said. At 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, the 2027 prospect is a willing blocker as an in-line tight end and when lined up at wide receiver. Thanks to his ability to stalk block. His solid hand vouches for his unexplored quality of being a route runner, too.

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Another giant in the recruitment race is Georgia, for obvious reasons. But Haviland doesn’t keep Georgia in his favorites just as a natural flavor to the home school. He likes the pro-offense approach and believes this particular style of offense can be beneficial to the players’ overall growth. It will be intriguing to see where the Georgia TE ultimately finds his home. But, for now, Billy Napier is at a crossroads for sure.