LSU Football: How new Florida coach Billy Napier could be making a big mistake
By Zach Ragan
New Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier could be making a major mistake.
Napier, who previously served as the head coach at Louisiana, was hired by the Gators late last month to replace Dan Mullen as the program’s head coach.
One of Napier’s first moves after arriving in Gainesville was to poach longtime LSU football assistant Corey Raymond.
Raymond, a former Tigers defensive back, had been on staff in Baton Rouge since 2012.
Over the weekend, rumors started flying that Tigers defensive line coach Andre Carter, who is actively recruiting for LSU, could also be heading to Florida.
The rumor started thanks to Carter’s son posting a comment on Instagram saying that his dad could be coming to Florida next season.
The big mistake Billy Napier could be making
Based on Napier’s early staff moves, it seems apparent that the new Gators head coach is focused on making Louisiana a priority in recruiting.
This could be a mistake.
Sure, Florida can steal a recruit here and there from Louisiana. There’s no doubt the Gators are always going to be a threat to LSU in recruiting.
But building a staff based around recruiting in Louisiana?
I’m not sure that’s wise.
I know Napier spent several seasons coaching in Louisiana. But if he thinks he’s going to raid the state as Florida’s head coach, he’s in for a rude awakening. He needs to focus on Florida. If he focuses on Louisiana, the Gators are going to miss out on a lot of key recruits in their own state.
The Tigers are going to continue to dominate in-state recruiting under Brian Kelly — bringing in Frank Wilson to serve on staff all but guarantees that LSU will continue to land the best talent that Louisiana has to offer.
Next. The most impressive thing about Brian Kelly. dark
By the way, I’m not sure how much Carter would help Napier with recruiting in Louisiana. Carter has only been at LSU for one season. He’s a California native who went to college at California. It’s not like he has deep Louisiana connections.
It’s going to be interesting to watch Napier’s strategy unfold. It certainly feels like it’s doomed to fail.