The War Room: Inside the Florida Gators beat

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Welcome to the War Room, where Gators Online takes you inside the Florida Gators athletics program and recruiting operations. The goal here is to provide you with exclusive and interesting intel in the space below on a wide range of topics relating to the Gators.

Let’s get started …

The latest on the Gators as it relates to NIL

* Gators Online has learned there will be a meeting this week with Napier, Florida athletics director Scott Stricklin, members of Florida Victorious and three prominent boosters to discuss the program and the state of NIL. As Napier has said, NIL is always changing and the meeting will be used to discuss the future of what that looks like at Florida, what the Gators need to continue to be competitive in that space as well as the program overall. — Nick De La Torre

* Speaking of NIL, Gators Online has learned that there will be a new addition to the Florida Victorious staff. Freddie Wehbe will join the Leadership Team to assist the collective with fundraising and marketing. Wehbe is the President of Wehbe Marketing and Make It Happen, Gainesville-based companies specializing in marketing, branding, and management consulting. He is also the Managing Partner and an investor for Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille, along with the business manager for Gators legend Steve Spurrier.

Wehbe established Gator Domino’s in Gainesville in 1995, becoming one of the busiest and most successful Domino’s markets in the world and winning multiple national and global awards. He sold his successful Domino’s franchise in 2016. Wehbe is a big supporter of Napier and has decided to get more involved in NIL to help Florida Athletics. — Zach Abolverdi

More clarity with the Florida Gators’ roster will come soon

* We mentioned last week’s War Room that several juniors will have decisions to make about their futures after the season. Those players are redshirt junior quarterback Graham Mertz, junior running back Montrell Johnson Jr., junior offensive lineman Micah Mazzccua, junior defensive tackle Cam Jackson, junior EDGE Princely Umanmielen, junior cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. and redshirt junior cornerback Jaydon Hill.

Jackson plans to announce his decision on Friday morning. We anticipate him turning pro and Umanmielen to follow suit. Hill and Mazzccua walked for Senior Day and will likely leave as well. Mertz and Johnson are both weighing their options, although the expectation is that Johnson will make the jump to the NFL. Marshall is a wildcard and his feedback from the NFL could determine his decision. — Zach Abolverdi

*Per a source, Billy Napier’s post-season “exit” interview with Florida starting quarterback Graham Mertz was to take place Wednesday. While many assume Mertz will return for a final season, it might not be a given. Apparently, he is getting the most positive feedback to date from the NFL. One can assume important questions will be asked from both sides in this meeting. Mertz, for one, probably would like to know if Napier will continue to call plays next season. With backup Max Brown announcing Wednesday his intention to enter the portal, all eyes now turn to Mertz. Five-star QB commit DJ Lagway is set to arrive at Florida in January, but if Mertz departs it’s hard to imagine the Gators not looking to the portal. — Keith Niebuhr

One more visit to Gainesville for DJ Lagway before signing day?

*Lagway, the recruiting never seems to stop. Now, we’ve learned it’s possible — even likely — Lagway will return to Gainesville for an unofficial visit the weekend of Dec. 8. That’s the last weekend the Gators will host official visitors before the early signing period begins Dec. 20. Four-star running back target Jadan Baugh, an Arkansas commit from Georgia, will be among the visitors. — Keith Niebuhr

*Four-star running back target Jerrick Gibson, a Gainesville native now at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, attended his third known game of the season at Florida last weekend. He’s a longtime Texas commit, but said after the game he’s still up in the air about a possible official visit to Florida in December. At this time, the tealeaves point toward Gibson sticking with the Longhorns. While sources say Gibson’s father is a big Gators fan, his son has his blessing to attend Texas and he’s supportive of that decision. — Keith Niebuhr

Florida Gators-Texas Longhorns battle brewing for key 5-star recruit

*Florida State, Georgia and Oregon are each trying to make a move with 5-star Gators safety commit Xavier Filsaime of Texas, but all indications are this will be a Florida-Texas battle. He lives with his father in Texas; his mother is a Florida resident and Filsaime lived in the Sunshine State earlier in his life. Filsaime visited both schools last week. Sources tell us the Longhorns were happy with how a mid-week trip to Austin went. Optimism there seems to be rising.

A few days later, Filsaime was in Gainesville and a prominent Florida target said Filsaime was recruiting him hard Saturday. One thing the Gators and Longhorns have working in their favor: He sees the need at safety and knows he can contribute early at both schools. Upcoming visits and in-homes by the respective coaching staffs at Florida and Texas will be crucial. — Keith Niebuhr

More chatter from the beat …

*Former Florida assistant defensive backs coach Corey Bell has strong interest in the Gators’ secondary coach job, per a source close to the situation. A strong recruiter with south Florida ties, Bell is defensive pass game coordinator at FAU. Prior to that, he spent the 2022 season at FIU as recruiting coordinator and cornerbacks coach. Bell was one of the few staff members retained by Napier when Napier got to Gainesville. He briefly held the role of quality control/running backs after serving as director of player personnel the season prior under Dan Mullen. Bell is known to be a strong recruiter. We will see if anything comes of it. — Corey Bender

*Four-star On3 recruit Marcus Mascoll, one of Florida’s offensive line commits, tells me Napier and co-offensive line coach Darnell Stapleton will visit him at home Saturday. Prior to choosing Florida last summer, Mascoll had numerous offers and picked the Gators over LSU. Today, he’s locked in with Florida. The NCAA recruiting contact period begins Friday and runs through Dec. 16. Schools can visit a prospect once a week; the head coach can visit him one time. — Corey Bender

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