Windermere cornerback CJ Bronaugh, the state-champion sprinter who committed to the Florida Gators football program on June 18, said Sunday he wasn’t necessarily surprised by the school’s decision to fire head coach Billy Napier.
“I’m shocked, but a lot of people saw it coming,” Bronaugh said, “but I’m still a Gator at the end of the day.”
Bronaugh (6-foot-1, 170 pounds) is in the middle of his senior football season at Windermere, during which the Wolverines have gone undefeated at 7-0 and have won 17 straight games dating back to last season. Windermere plays in the Orange County Public Schools Independent Division, and are not eligible for the FHSAA playoffs. It remains unclear if the Independent teams are eligible for the FHSAA’s inaugural invitational tournament at the end of the season.
Windermere speedster CJ Bronaugh gives Gators first top-100 commitment in ’26 class
He said no one from UF has reached out about Napier’s firing yet, but other schools were already in his ear. Michigan coaches were the first to contact him and he can be assured there will be plenty more. But he remains committed to his original intentions.
Windermere senior cornerback CJ Bronaugh, who is also a state-champion sprinter, said Florida’s firing of football coach Billy Napier on Sunday will not change his decision to sign with UF in December. (Chris Hays/Orlando Sentinel) (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Bronaugh had nothing but positive remarks about Napier, who was 22-23 in three-and-a-half seasons at UF.
“He was an amazing person. I had a good relationship with him he was always talking positive about everything,” Bronaugh said.
The senior speedster has enjoyed an amazing high school career. On the track, he has dominated the state sprint scene for the past two years, winning the 100 meters twice, the 200 meters once and was part of the winning 4×100 meter relay team at the state championships, winning three golds in May.
On the football field, Bronaugh has had 47 tackles, 7 interceptions and two sacks over the past two seasons, and is one of the captains on a team that has not lost a game since Nov. 3, 2023.
He remains focused. Taking the example of what his head coach Riki Smith has preached to the team all along, Bronaugh said:
“I’d say it kinda shows me and all the guys that we gotta stay locked in and take it week by week being 1-0 so we can end the season how we wanna end it,” he said. “It feels great, honestly, I’m just really grateful for my coaches, players and everyone that has been there for me.”
Despite his success on the track, Bronaugh decided in May that he was hanging up his track spikes and concentrating on football, so he will enroll at UF in January with football his sole focus. He said it wasn’t a difficult decision to forgo his senior track season.
“Not really, I knew I wanted to go early,” Bronaugh said. “I wasn’t worried about track at all.”
Windermere has a big game on Friday night as the Wolverines will play host to another undefeated Independent team, Innovation (8-0), a school that just opened its doors last year. The game will be the for the championship of the Orange County Independent Division.
The Gators currently have 19 players committed to the 2026 recruiting class, and no one has decommitted since the news of Napier’s firing.
Chris Hays can be found on X.com @OS_ChrisHays.
