ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum is virtually synonymous with SEC football, so it's no surprise he had some things to say regarding the Florida Gators' issues with bringing in talent and losing talent via the transfer portal.
So far, nearly 20 players have left the school through the portal, including running back Trevor Etienne, who's headed to Georgia.
Finebaum took some time on the podcast "McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning" to discuss the 17-player exodus.
"Well, I think it has been a constant subject. But I think there's a lot of eyes on Gainesville," Finebaum said. "That's not going to change, especially after Wednesday night when we saw that schedule."
In 2024, the Gators play eight SEC teams: Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Texas, LSU and Ole Miss. They also play Florida State to round out the regular season.
Paul Finebaum was the first to say it. Florida has the toughest schedule in the SEC in 2024. Napier better get some reinforcements because I don?t see 7 winnable games on this schedule and I think that is what he will need to coach this team in 2025. Only one cupcake. Oh my! pic.twitter.com/apFfyhoYrV
— Doug Mayo (@UFCowman) December 14, 2023
In addition to Etienne, the players hitting the transfer portal include Princely Umanmielen, Caleb Douglas, Max Brown and more. The Gators do have recruits including Joey Slackman, Trikweze Bridges and Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson coming in to help offset the departures. But still, that's a lot of talent to lose.
On Wednesday, the Gators will look to National Signing Day. They have 19 commitments, including 10 four-star recruits and two five-star recruits.
Still, Finebaum doesn't seem overly thrilled.
"Billy Napier is picking up a few players," Finebaum said. "I'm really eager to see how he lands on Wednesday. But having a big recruiting day nowadays just doesn't have the same impact."
"It used to be able to really get mileage," Finebaum continued. "How many times have you guys seen a program that had a wayward season, had a big December or February for that matter, and everybody gallops into the next season? That can't happen because the field is so small now in terms of the actual numbers you need."
Since Napier took over as head coach of the Gators in 2022, the team is 11-14. Nowadays, recruiting classes don't solve as much as proven talent, which the Gators continue losing.
"I don't think, even with a major haul, he is going to be able to dramatically change the momentum of that program — short of winning those games," Finebaum said.
The Gators fell short of a bowl game this year with just five wins.
