The college football contact period has come and gone but Billy Napier and the Florida football program are still reaping the fruits of their labors from their recent efforts.
One of the prep prospects the Gators have been pressing hard for is four-star safety Hylton Stubbs out of Jacksonville (Florida) Mandarin in the 2025 recruiting cycle. The 6-foot-1-inch, 180-pound defensive back paid a visit to Gainesville during the recent window and left with a very positive impression of the Orange and Blue.
Now several weeks separated from his stop in Hogtown and following visits with the Miami Hurricanes and USC Trojans, his sentiments remain unwavering.
“I feel like (the Gators) are still my frontrunner,” Stubbs told Swamp247. “There are some schools still shooting for that spot still.”
Co-defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong spearheaded the recruiting efforts early on and other members of the staff have also joined in the fray for the coveted high school junior.
“Just showing me that I am a priority, and recruiting me very heavy,” he said of what he kept Florida on top. “I talk to Coach Will Harris, Coach CJ (Wilford), or Coach (Austin) Armstrong like every single day. I talk to those guys a lot.”
The biggest name joining Armstrong in the blue-chipper’s recruitment is Harris, the newly-acquired secondary coach who has wasted no time since taking over his role.
“He’s definitely recruiting me hard. I really like Coach Harris. I love what he’s doing. He just came from the Chargers, and he’s recruiting me really heavily. He hit the ground running with me. I am loving what he’s doing right now.”
Of course, head coach Billy Napier always has his fingers on the pulse as well.
“He’s really involved,” he noted. “I talk to Coach Napier probably every week or so. Head coaches are very busy, but I talk to Coach Napier personally every week or so. He’s probably the head coach I am the closest with.”
As far as setting up his future itinerary, Stubbs still has a bit of work left to do.
“I would think everything will be figured out in the next week or so. Right now, I am definitely going to get to Tennessee again, Penn State and Georgia. Definitely Florida. I definitely want to take my official visit to Florida. FSU and Miami. USC is another one.”
Stubbs is ranked No. 49 overall and No. 4 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 50 and 4, respectively. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has Florida out front with a 46.3% chance of signing him, followed by FSU (12.0%), Miami (10.3%) and UGA (4.5%).
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