Earnest Graham says he fell “disconnected” with Florida after the new coach took over.
Legendary Florida running back and father of one of the team’s newest players, Earnest Graham made his frustration with the Gators known on Thursday morning in the wake of UF inside linebackers coach Jay Bateman’s surprise move to Texas A&M.
In a social media post made less than two hours after Bateman’s departure was reported, Graham mentioned his son, Myles Graham, a linebacker signee for the Gators in the class of 2024, but he did say that UF hadn’t been in touch with him.
According to Graham, who went to UF from 1998 to 2002, “my son was raised to understand the business as it exists but there has been new levels of disconnect with this program that I have NEVER experienced.” Graham wrote this on Thursday. I got no calls or messages, and the experience was the driest I can think of. Iโm just going to START there.”
While Graham did not offer further comment by press time, he previously expressed satisfaction with the level of communication between the Graham family, Bateman and Florida head coach Billy Napier in an exclusive interview withย All Gatorsย on Tuesday during his son’s high school signing day ceremony, striking a different tone from his Thursday remark.
“Both of them have been great. I mean, they’ve communicated well,” Graham said. “They made it very clear not only that they, you know, value Myles, but they were in tune with what he wanted to accomplish here and what it meant to him to play here at the University of Florida.
“So, they’ve been great through the process. As parents, when you turn them over to a school, those are the type of people that you want to turn them over to. Nothing but great things about them.”
Bateman was one of the original hires to Napier’s Florida coaching team, in Jan. 2022. The terms of his contract with the program were set to expire on Jan. 31, 2024.
Bateman played an important role in recruiting the younger Graham to Florida as his expected position coach. In fact, Bateman shared a picture of himself with the recruit to social media roughly an hour following Graham’s signing with UF on Wednesday. The post has since been removed.
Following anย Early Signing Periodย in which eight prospects who were committed to Florida in November signed with other schools, Earnest Graham’s response to Bateman’s departure and accusation of disconnect between the program and the family of a player is another public relations obstacle for Napier and Co. to overcome entering a crucial third offseason as UF’s head coach.
Florida’s fifth all-time leading rusher with 3,065 yards, fourth all-time rushing scorer with 33 touchdowns and 2023ย Florida-Georgia Hall of Fameย inductee alongside former Gators cornerbackย Joe Haden, Graham’s voice resonated online with a UF fanbase that isย coping with a third-consecutive losing season andย well-acquainted with his legacy.
Relative to recruiting history, Myles Graham signed with UF as a consensus four-star prospect, the third-highest-ranked pledge in Florida’s 2024 recruiting class according to the 247Sports composite. He finished his high school career in Gainesville, earning 82 tackles and 17 total touchdowns as a senior at Buchholz High School.