Florida is set to put a holiday bow on Billy Napier’s first full recruiting cycle in Gainesville, beginning with Early Signing Day on Wednesday.

The Gators already have 21 commitments in Napier’s “bump” class, and remain in play for a few targets set to make their decisions when the signing period opens Wednesday. Napier’s current class ranks 11th nationally in the 247 composite and 5th in the SEC, behind Alabama, archrival Georgia, LSU and Tennessee.

Florida’s average player rating of 92.23 ranks 6th nationally, behind only Alabama and Georgia in the SEC. That makes the quality of Florida’s class, from a player rating standpoint, the best in Gainesville since 2010, the last time the Gators inked the nation’s No. 1 class. That alone is one reason it’s foolish for Florida fans to be down on the long-term ceiling with Napier. It’s quantity that is absent, with Florida’s class markedly smaller at 21 commits than anyone in the top 10 except Ohio State, which has just 20 commits due to a lack of room.

Florida fans wanted to close Napier’s 1st full class in the top 10, where the Gators spent most the cycle. That’s understandable, but this will still be a quality class, with a chance to improve on Early Signing Day. With that framing in mind, here is a primer to Florida’s Early Signing Day for the 2023 class.

Highest rated player: Jaden Rashada, QB, 5-star

Florida flipped Rashada from Miami late this autumn, giving Napier’s 2023 class a signature player at the sport’s most important position. Rashada, who was upgraded to a 5-star in the latest 247 update, is the 7th-ranked quarterback in the country in the 247 composite. An effortless and accurate thrower with excellent mechanics, he is not a work in progress as a passer as previous high-level Florida quarterback recruits like Feleipe Franks, Anthony Richardson and Emory Jones. Rashada does need to add weight, as he is 6-4 but needle thin at 180 pounds. Once he adds weight, his quick release, sharp mechanics and accurate arm should make him a high-level starter in the SEC. He’s nationally regarded as one of the players in the class most certain to be a difference maker, and this was a massive flip for the Gators at a position of need.

Did they bolster the QB room? Yes.

Rashada is an immense talent, and he gives the Gators a high-level starter who should be ready to play by 2024. The Gators need to bridge that gap in the transfer portal, but given the losses of Richardson (NFL Draft) and Jalen Kitna (dismissed from team), Florida enters Early Signing Day with just 2 scholarship quarterbacks, and Rashada adds talent and depth to a room that desperately needs both.

Rashada is unlikely to start immediately. Florida is active in the portal and is in on Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall, who would be a solid option to bridge the gap between Richardson and Rashada. Five-star commit DJ Lagway, the No. 2 ranked quarterback in the 2024 class, eventually will compete for a job with Rashada. But at least initially, Florida will likely start Las Vegas Bowl starter Jack Miller III or a transfer next autumn.

Best position group: Defensive line

Defensive coordinator Patrick Toney and his staff are set to ink a massive defensive line class, with 5 blue-chip prospects headed to Gainesville as well as Louisville transfer Caleb Banks. The Gators are still in the mix to add to this group Wednesday, though it is unlikely they land longtime defensive line target Jordan Hall, a top-75 player out of Jacksonville who is considered a Georgia lean. Still, the Gators have an outstanding group coming in at this position of need, including top-150 talent Kamran James out of Orlando and TJ Searcy, one of the best players in Georgia. Expect James and Searcy to play immediately, and look for edge commit Isaiah Nixon, who had offers from Alabama, LSU, Auburn and Georgia, to compete for time as a freshman as well.

The gem of Florida’s defensive class is also on the defensive line, where the Gators landed top-100 talent Kelby Collins, who chose Florida over his home state Crimson Tide. An explosive 3-technique with tremendous burst, Collins should play immediately. Eventually, he’ll give the Gators a defensive tackle who is a huge factor in generating quarterback pressure up the middle.

Biggest need filled: Defensive line

Florida signed one of the deepest defensive line classes in America, and it needed to, given the departure of massive roster talent. The Gators will enter the spring without former 5-stars Gervon Dexter (early departure, NFL Draft) and Brenton Cox (dismissed from team in November). Add them to a list that includes Andrew Chatfield Jr. (Oregon State) and Khris Bogle (Michigan State), along with 2 other blue-chip portal entries, and Florida is down 6 blue-chip talents in the past 2 years alone.

This year’s class addresses that talent drain directly. And if Collins and James contribute immediately, as expected, Florida has a chance to be better up front in 2023 than they were in 2022.

Biggest potential addition: Caden Jones, OL, 3-star

We are staying with probable additions here, as opposed to pure “hope” that Florida will win a recruiting battle for 5-star corner Desmond Ricks or 5-star edge rusher Qua Russaw, who are likely to sign elsewhere this week.

Of the 2, Russaw would be the one who, while surprising, wouldn’t stun me. He has a great relationship with Mike Peterson, the former All-Pro linebacker and Gators staffer who has recruited him for multiple years at multiple schools. And Russaw has been open about Florida being a great option and a place he has enjoyed visiting. Still, the allure of playing for Nick Saban at home in Alabama is likely too much for the Gators to overcome.

Jones is different. While only a 3-star, he has tremendous upside, with great hands and reach. He has also improved dramatically in his past 2 seasons, which is why he has gone from a lightly recruited kid out of New Orleans to a top-25 player in Louisiana being pursued by Florida, Texas A&M and Florida State. The Gators have recruited him the longest, and I’d expect him to be added to the 2023 group as Florida pursues additional linemen to block for their 5-star quarterbacks of the future.

Final takeaways on Florida’s 2023 class …

The Gators did well, especially from a quality of recruit standpoint.

They could have done better, though, and the lack of numbers, along with the fact Florida lost 4 of 5 high-profile recruiting wars over elite prospects to Mario Cristobal and Miami, will sting well into the next recruiting cycle. Making matters worse on that front, at least 2 of those players, 5-star corner Cormani McClain and 4-star linebacker Malik Bryant, were long thought to be Florida-bound until an influx of NIL money from Coral Gables swept away those assumptions.

As “bump” classes go, this isn’t what the Gators had in mind. But it is also the best recruiting class Florida has signed from a player quality standpoint since 2010, which gives you an idea of how long the talent has been slipping away from the flagship program in the state of Florida.