THE LEGENDARY FORMER RB PLAYER OF GATORS WAS AGAIN.

Earnest Graham Claims ‘Disconnect’ With Florida Following Coaching Change
The legendary former running back Earnest Graham of the Gators, whose son Myles signed with Florida on Wednesday, expressed his dissatisfaction on Thursday in response to the UF coaching change.

Earnest Graham, a legendary running back from Florida and the father of one of the team’s newest players, expressed his dissatisfaction with the Gators on Thursday morning following the unexpected departure of UF inside linebackers coach Jay Bateman to Texas A&M.

Graham mentioned his son, Myles Graham, a class of 2024 Gators linebacker signee, on social media less than two hours after news of Bateman’s departure from the school broke. Graham claimed that UF had not communicated with his son.

The elder Graham attended 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 ever experienced,” the man wrote on Thursday. “There were no calls, no messages, and it was the most boring experience imaginable. I’m just going to go there and START.”

In an exclusive interview with All Gators on Tuesday during his son’s high school signing day ceremony, Graham expressed his satisfaction with the level of communication between the Graham family, Bateman, and Florida head coach Billy Napier. This was a different tone from his statement on Thursday. Graham did not provide any additional comments by press time.

“Both of them have been outstanding. They’ve really communicated nicely,” Graham remarked. They clearly shown their appreciation for Myles and understood what it meant to him to play at the University of Florida as well as what he wanted to achieve here.

They’ve been excellent throughout the procedure, so. Those are the kinds of individuals you want to hand your children over to when you, as their parents, give them over to a program. They really have been fantastic.

In January 2022, Bateman was one of the first coaches Napier hired for Florida. His agreement with the program was set to expire on January 31, 2024.

As Graham’s anticipated position coach, Bateman was crucial in luring the younger Graham to Florida. Indeed, just an hour after Graham signed with UF on Wednesday, Bateman shared a photo of himself with the recruit on social media. Since then, the post has been removed.

Another public relations challenge for Napier and Co. as they head into a pivotal third offseason as UF’s head coach is Earnest Graham’s response to Bateman’s departure and his accusation of a disconnect between the program and a player’s family. This comes after an Early Signing Period during which eight prospects who were committed to Florida in November signed with other schools.

The voice of Florida’s fifth-best rusher in history, with 3,065 yards, its fourth-best rush scorer with 33 touchdowns, and a 2023 inductee into the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame alongside former Gators cornerback Joe Haden, reverberated online among a UF fanbase reeling from its third straight losing season and well-versed in the legacy of their hero.

In terms of recruitment history, Myles Graham committed to UF as a unanimous four-star talent. According to the 247Sports composite, he was the third-ranked pledge in Florida’s 2024 recruiting class. As a senior at Buchholz High School, he recorded 82 tackles and 17 total touchdowns, capping his high school career in Gainesville.