Florida earns commitment from German offensive tackle

Billy Napier dipped into the international recruiting scene to add a relatively unknown offensive lineman to his 2024 class.

Florida earned somewhat of a surprise commitment from German (Schwäbisch Hall) offensive tackle [autotag]Noel Portnjagin[/autotag] on Wednesday, according to Jacob Rudner of Swamp247.

Portnjagin visited Florida for a training camp on June 5 and netted an offer soon after. Auburn, South Carolina and Liberty all offered as well, but he decided that the Swamp was where he wanted to call home.

His commitment comes on the heels of former South Carolina offensive line commit Mike Williams flipping to Florida, giving the Gators nine players in the 2024 class. 247Sports ranks UF at No. 21 overall in the team recruiting rankings.

The plan is for Portnjagin to return over the fall or in December for an official visit.

Because he’s an international prospect, not every recruiting service has graded him yet. 247Sports and ESPN still have him unranked, while On3 and Rivals.com list him as a three-star talent.

The On3 industry ranking, which uses a weighted average of all four major services, puts Pornjagin at No. 1,069 overall and No. 80 among offensive tackles in the class of 2024.

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