The start of the early signing period on Wednesday was a big day for [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and Co. as the program signed 22 total prep prospects en route to one of the finer signing days in recent memory. While the focus may have been mostly on the 2023 recruiting cycle, talent in the transfer portal was also on the minds of the Gators’ staff.
One of the newcomers for the Orange and Blue next season will be former Louisville Cardinals defensive lineman [autotag]Caleb Banks[/autotag], who officially became a Gator on Wednesday when the program announced his addition through the NCAA transfer portal. The massive 6-foot-7-inch, 300-pound behemoth originally picked UL over offers from a multitude of schools, including the Tennessee Volunteers, Michigan State Spartans, Michigan Wolverines and Arizona State Sun Devils — the latter of which he was committed to at one point.
The rising redshirt sophomore made just one stop in the Swamp prior in early December before verbally committing on Dec. 11 as he was unable to visit while still in high school. Still, his impression of the program was high after that solitary official visit.
“It’s a great coaching staff,” Banks said after the official visit, according to Swamp247. “They are building something great there. It was amazing to see firsthand instead of virtually. Actually being able to go there. I wasn’t able to go on visits because of COVID, so it was pretty good going into my first official visit at Florida. Honestly, everything [was a highlight]. There wasn’t one certain thing. I loved it.”
Not only are the pieces of the puzzle in place on the sidelines for Banks but also on the field.
“(The staff) just told me I would have a great opportunity. They need defensive linemen. We will see where that goes and see what happens. They see me being a three, four or a five.”
Banks was a three-star defensive lineman coming out of high school in Southfield, Michigan, according to both the 247Sports consensus as well as the On3 consensus for the class of 2021. During his two collegiate seasons with the Cardinals, he appeared in eight total games — two as a true freshman in 2021 and six in 2022 — recording two tackles and a sack while forcing a fumble over that stretch.
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