The start of the college football season looms, but the Florida Gators’ grind began in the spring. Months before any results were shown on the field, UF head coach Billy Napier and his staff have been laying the foundation for the program’s future.
In no area is that more prevalent than recruitment, and with the season kicking off Aug. 30, the hard work on the recruiting trail is paying off.
Napier’s Gators landed the No. 7 recruiting class in the nation in 2025, per the 247Sports Composite. With 31 incoming true freshmen joining a deep and talented roster, fans will soon see how the additions adjust to a new environment.
A number of the true freshmen, however, took the ball and ran with it, showcasing their skills while making it clear that they are ready to impact the Gators as early as this season.
“I love the intangibles of the group,” Napier said July 30. “We have quite a few of these younger players that we need to continue to grow and develop. And we have to get consumed with improvement.”
One player who has made leaps in terms of growth thus far is true freshman quarterback Tramell Jones Jr., a four-star recruit from Jacksonville.
Despite having limited spring practice while recovering from a lower leg injury he suffered during his senior season in 2024, Jones has impressed the Gators’ coaching staff throughout training camp.
“I think it’s buzz-worthy,” Napier said Aug. 11. “Yeah, that’s what I would say. Tramell Jones is buzz-worthy.”
Jones also immediately found a connection with two new Gators, both who are set to make big impacts in their freshmen campaigns: wide receivers Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown III.
Wilson, an Under Armour High School All-American from Tampa, experienced an unorthodox recruitment process.
The 6-foot-4 receiver committed to Oregon at the start of the 2024 early signing period before he submitted a request for release from his financial-aid agreement Dec. 19. He wanted to be closer to home, his agent told the Athletic, and committed to Florida three days later.
Since arriving in Gainesville in January, Wilson has hit the ground running and looks destined to be an impact player. He was also named to the 247Sports preseason True Freshman All-America Team.
“He's got some good veteran players around him that have experience,” Napier said at SEC Media Days. “So, there will be a different level of self-discipline and intensity and urgency once we get to the season, but there's no question Dallas is going to make our team better."
Alongside Wilson, Brown III not only brings plenty of talent to the plate but also lives and breathes everything UF. The Gainesville native is a double legacy: His father, Vernell Brown Jr., played cornerback for the Gators from 2001 to 2005, while his grandfather, Vernell Brown Sr., played at UF from 1982 to 1985.
With his lifelong dream of playing for the Gators coming true, Brown III proved he has the talent and the mental endurance to become one of the elites among wide receivers.
“Vernell is one of the emerging players in camp, in my opinion," Napier said Aug. 11. “He plays fast for a young player, and I think he's decisive, and it's not too big for him. He's very comfortable in the moment, so he's got a chance to impact our team as a freshman.”
Brown III isn’t just making an impression on Florida’s coaching staff. He’s received praise from a number of veteran players, who see the wideout as a potential game-breaker.
“He understands the game, and he's going to go a long way, not just solely because of how athletic he is,” redshirt senior edge rusher Tyreak Sapp said about Brown III in March. “It's his mental."
While the Gators have added more electricity on the offensive end, arguably the most impressive true freshman for UF is edge rusher Jayden Woods.
The Shawnee, Kansas, native earned 247Sports preseason True Freshman All-America Team honors alongside Wilson, and he has shattered expectations since his arrival to the program.
A former Kansas state champion in shot put and discus, Woods set positional records with a 530 pound squat, which has put his Florida teammates on notice.
“He just got here, but he’s getting off the ball like he knows when the ball is going to be snapped,” redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Bryce Lovett said of Woods. “He is not a freshman. That is what I say. I don’t know what he was doing in Kansas before he came here, but he is strong, fast, smart.”
A key focus for Napier and his staff on the recruiting trail in 2024 was in the secondary, where Florida was decimated by injuries down the stretch last season.
With opportunities for playing time aplenty throughout camp, freshmen defensive backs Drake Stubbs and Lagonza Hayward have made their cases for early playing time.
Stubbs, from Jacksonville, was particularly impressive during the 2025 Orange and Blue Game, where he recorded eight tackles, an interception and a QB hurry.
“He’s got a knack for finding the ball,” Napier said of Stubbs following the game. “He continues to evolve in terms of knowing the system, but in general, physical player, not scared of contact, seeks it out.”
Hayward, meanwhile, has steadily emerged throughout training camp. Napier called out the Lyons, Georgia, native on Aug. 11 as a player who will make an instant impact on special teams while rotating into the defensive backfield.
With kickoff nearing and expectations high for year four under Napier, it’s only fitting that the hard work put in on the recruiting trail is met with plenty of excitement.
“I love the challenge,” Napier said July 30. “This is a challenge worth pursuing, and I think I wouldn't rather do it with anybody else, and I like the group I'm getting to do it with.”
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X @maxbernstein23.
Max is the Summer 2025 sports editor. He is a third-year journalism sports & media major and in his fifth semester at The Alligator. He is a big South Florida sports fan and would die for Matthew Tkachuk.
