Florida football is in the midst of a massive program overhaul after the departure of [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] and his staff. Now under the administration of former Lousiana Ragin’ Cajuns head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and his veritable army of tireless coaches and staffers, the Gators are on the hunt for the best prep prospects in the nation for the class of 2023.
Last weekend, the Orange and Blue hosted four-star interior offensive lineman [autotag]Kelton Smith[/autotag] out of Columbus (Georgia) Carver High School for an unofficial visit on campus. During his tour of the facilities on April 2, he had an opportunity to briefly meet Napier in person, who surprised him with an offer to join the program.
“I really didn’t know what to say,” Smith said according to Swamp247. “I was just amazed. He said he just had to offer me because of how I move at this size.”
The 6-foot-5-inch, 300-pound lineman now has 13 total reported suitors according to 247Sports, which includes seven SEC schools. He currently has two crystal ball projections for the Florida State Seminoles per the same publication, while On3 has the Auburn Tigers in front of 11 listed schools with a 38.8% prediction.
The other conference schools vying for his talents based on a combination of both sources are the Georgia Bulldogs, Tennessee Volunteers, Ole Miss Rebels, South Carolina Gamecocks, Kentucky Wildcats and LSU Tigers.
While a date has yet to be set for an official visit to Gainesville, Smith told Gators Online that Florida would “probably have one.” The good news is that after his April stop at the Swamp, the Gators “moved themselves up a lot on my list,” in his own words.
The interior offensive lineman prospect is ranked No. 258 overall and No. 13 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports Composite, while the On3 Consensus lists him at No. 222 overall and No. 14, respectively.
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