Florida football has been hosting prep prospects from around the nation since the end of the dead period, keeping Billy Napier and Co. busy as the coaching staff burns the midnight oil evaluating and wooing those visiting high school athletes.
Among those making the trek to Gainesville in the near future is four-star quarterback [autotag]Akili Smith Jr[/autotag]. out of Vista Murrieta (California) in the 2025 recruiting cycle. The 6-foot-5-inch, 200-pound signal-caller plans on venturing outside his region to make a stop in the Swamp this coming weekend, according to 247Sports.
“I’m really excited, this is my first visit outside the West Coast. My dad has been talking to the staff and then I talked with Ryan O’Hara on Sunday.
“I don’t really know what to expect but I’ve heard great things about how big SEC football is. I know it’s crazy out there so I’m looking forward to experiencing all that and I’m sure I’ll have a good time.”
The blue-chip passer recently made a trip out to Berkeley to visit the Cal Golden Bears and plans to stop at his father’s alma mater, the Oregon Ducks, for their spring intrasquad scrimmage on April 29. He also expressed his desire to visit the Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan Wolverines, Florida State Seminoles and UCLA Bruins this summer.
Smith is unrated and unranked according to 247Sports and the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him rated at four stars, and ranked at No. 55 overall and No. 5 at his position nationally. The Arizona Wildcats hold the top spot on On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine with a 79.3% chance of landing him, while Oregon follows behind at 6.3% and the Grambling State Tigers and Michigan trail at 5.4% and 4.5%, respectively.
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