Billy Napier can’t catch a break, huh? Just when Florida fans thought the offseason chaos had settled, Miami came through like a repo man and snatched another key piece off the Gators’ plate. Will Harris’ move to the Hurricanes ain’t just a coaching shift—it’s a full-blown problem for Napier. And the fallout is getting uglier by the second. One elite Florida target is giving Miami a long look, and another one flipped. Talk about 1 stone, 3 birds.

So here’s the deal. Will Harris dipped out on Florida to take over as Miami’s safeties coach in February, and it didn’t take long for the ripple effects to hit Gainesville like a tidal wave. On February 16th, On3’s Josh Newberg brought Miami insider Izubee Charles onto his show, and Charles wasted no time connecting the dots. “There are a ton of guys that come to mind, but I kind of want to focus on one big-time prospect that’s been a Hurricanes lean for a long time, and that’s 2026 four-star safety Aiden Pouncey.” 

Now, Pouncey’s name ain’t new in Gatorland. His brothers, Ethan and Jordan, both played at Florida. His uncles? Mike and Maurkice Pouncey, NFL legends. This kid was practically born to be a Gator. But here’s where it gets messy—Will Harris was his primary recruiter at Florida. And now, Harris is in Coral Gables, and suddenly, Pouncey is singing a different tune: ‘Hey, the more relationships I have down there in Miami, the better for the Canes.’ That’s strike 1!

Losing Pouncey to Miami would’ve been bad enough. But that ain’t even the worst part. Just when Billy Napier thought things couldn’t get worse, four-star cornerback Jaelen Waters pulled the ultimate curveball. The CB had literally locked in with Florida since June, but then Saturday rolled around, and boom—decommitted. Where’s he headed next? Well, On3’s Steve Wiltfong threw gasoline on the fire, predicting Waters is Miami-bound.

And just to make sure nobody missed the point, Izubee Charles came back with the heat: “Miami’s really turning up for Jaelen Waters, who’s been down to campus two times in the last two months. So, I do think this is something that’s going to happen rather sooner than later, and you know, I think this has Miami written all over it.” Translation? It’s all but a wrap. That’s strike 2.

Will Harris: The real MVP of Miami’s recruiting surge?

Look, coaching changes happen all the time. But the way this one went down? Devastating. Will Harris wasn’t just any position coach at Florida; he was their recruiting closer in the secondary. In his single season with the Gators, he played a major role in rebuilding their pass defense and putting Florida back in the mix for top-tier DB talent. Now, he’s doing the same thing in Miami, except this time, he’s snatching Florida’s own recruits in the process. And let’s be real—Miami ain’t just flipping players. They’re flipping momentum after missing the playoffs in 2024. Florida’s secondary pipeline just sprung a leak, and it’s leaking straight into Coral Gables.

Losing top recruits stings, but losing them to a rival? That’s a whole different level of disrespect. And the worst part? This ain’t even new for Napier. Since taking over, he’s been in an uphill battle trying to keep Florida relevant in the recruiting world and moves like this just make it harder. The Canes just outmaneuvered him, and now it’s up to him to stop the bleeding before this gets uglier.

Analyst Izubee Charles summed it up best: “I think the Harris move to Miami was kind of that final nail in the coffin for the Gators since the start of the new year.” Losing Will Harris to Miami is strike 3.

End of the day, this is bigger than just Will Harris. This is about Miami making serious moves while Florida scrambles for answers. Harris jumping ship didn’t just weaken Florida’s staff; it opened the floodgates for elite recruits to follow. And if Billy Napier can’t stop this trend soon, Florida fans might be looking at another rebuild before they even finish the first one.