The Florida Gators struggled to land blue-chip offensive linemen under the previous staff, but new coach Billy Napier is looking to fill the trenches with elite talent.
Four-star offensive tackle Payton Kirkland is emerging as an early priority target for UF, according to 247Sports. The 6-foot-6-inch, 325-pounder has been in contact with several members of the new staff, including Napier and offensive line coach Rob Sale. Things started to ramp up between the two parties after the 2022 signing class was complete, and Kirkland is noticing the differences between the new staff and the old one.
“I’ve liked the staff so far,” Kirkland said. “They are a lot different from the last staff. They are really pushing me hard and I’m just thankful for that, and glad to be a priority for them. We will see what happens in the future…
“This new staff is always breathing down your neck. They want to make it as hard as possible to not come there. I like the approach they are taking with me. They just make it hard not to consider them.”
Kirkland isn’t short of Power Five offers. He named a top seven of Clemson, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Penn State with offers from Alabama and Michigan State to fall back on. Florida still has time to squeeze its way in, but Kirkland says it’s about impressing his mother.
“I always tell these coaches, you’re going to have to recruit my mom more than you recruit me,” he said. “I am not too much into all the recruiting. I am more into playing football and being able to pour all the things back into the people over the years have poured into me.”
It sounds like Kirkland values the efforts his family has made to get him in a spot where so many of the nation’s elite want him playing for them. That’s the kind of high-character athlete Napier is likely to invest many resources in as he looks to establish a certain culture in Gainesville.
A mid-season commitment could be in the works for Kirkland, but he said that an announcement could come as late as the December early signing period. He plans on graduating early, which would give him an opportunity to enroll in the spring.
The 247Sports composite ranks Kirkland as the No. 203 overall prospect and the No. 17 offensive tackle in the 2023 class.
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