Category: Football Recruiting

Florida continues effort to flip Auburn-committed OT after recent visit

The Gators are looking for the inside edge on this Auburn-committed offensive tackle.

The Florida football program has been hosting visitors since the reopening of the prep recruiting contact period, making many inroads with a plethora of prospects from around the nation.

While it will take some time for these efforts to bear fruit, the Gators are hoping that one of their recent visitors is impressed enough with the Orange and Blue to flip from another orange-and-blue Southeastern Conference school that he is already committed to.

Four-star offensive tackle [autotag]Tavaris Dice[/autotag] out of Fairburn (Georgia) Langston Hughes in the 2025 cycle is currently committed to the Auburn Tigers but made an extended visit to Gainesville last week. After having been to campus a few times in the past, the 6-foot-6-inch, 275-pound lineman was in town once again from Thursday to Saturday.

Highlights from Dice’s trip to Gainesville

The three-day stay in Hogtown permitted the high school junior ample time to get acquainted with the members of the program as well as the campus itself — including a glimpse at what daily life is like at the University of Florida.

“Being with the players and seeing their everyday schedules was a good experience,” Dice noted according to Swamp247. “That was a key thing for last weekend. I was with Caden Jones, and he was good to hang around. After being hurt last season he told me important parts about the program, and about how it’s been since he’s been there.”

The Peach State product finally got a chance meet the Gators’ new assistant offensive line coach John DeCoster in the process as well.

“I saw a lot of good things from coach DeCoster,” Dice said. “You can tell he’s going to put effort into changing the program especially bringing NFL knowledge into the program. That’s going to change things a lot for the o-line.

His stop also coincided with the team’s first spring scrimmage, which took place on Saturday.

“The scrimmage was intense, the practice was structured for the ones going at it on defense, and offense it was fun to be there and experience that.”

Finally, Dice got to speak with the head coach himself, Billy Napier, who offered some extremely encouraging words.

“They told me that coming there could change my life. They also said no matter how long I’m locked in with Auburn, the specific thing the head coach told me was ‘he’s coming’, and he’s never going to stop recruiting me until the process is over.”

Recruiting summary

Dice is ranked No. 252 overall and No. 26 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 241 and 22, respectively.

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Local 4-star DL sets official visit date with Gators, among others

Florida will be the first stop for this Newberry product on his summer official visit tour.

The list of official visits for the Florida football program continues to grow as the Gators continue their push for the top prep prospects in the nation.

One of the latest names added to the roster for the coming summer sessions is four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Jarquez Carter[/autotag] out of nearby Newberry (Florida) in the 2025 cycle.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 284-pound trench warrior recently revealed his list of official visit dates to On3 and has the Orange and Blue leading off his itinerary on May 31. He also has visits set with the Penn State Nittany Lions (June 7), UCF Knights (June 14) and Miami Hurricanes (June 21) on the weekends following.

Jarquez Carter breaks down the Gators

“I love the D-line coach they have. When I went there the last two times, he was showing me techniques and talking to my family and connecting with me. We talked about things outside of football,” he told On3 back in February.

“I love going to the games, the culture, the fans, listening to ‘Won’t Back Down’ after the third quarter and that feeling that you get when you go to the school. Also, me and most of the players have a connection.”

Recruiting summary

Carter is rated at four stars and ranked No. 359 overall and No. 42 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking rates him at three stars and ranks him at Nos. 390 and 32, respectively.

Florida is favored by On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine with a 75.5% chance of signing him, followed by UCF (9.5%), the Florida State Seminoles (4.6%) and Miami (2.3%).

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Blue-chip FSU-committed EDGE sets Florida official visit date

The Gators will be the first program to host the top EDGE target in the 2025 cycle.

The list of prep prospects set to make their official visits to the Swamp in the coming months continues to grow for Florida football as Billy Napier and Co. continue to grind away on the recruiting trail.

The Gators added a big name to their visit schedule recently, according to Swamp247. That would be four-star edge defender [autotag]Javion Hilson[/autotag] out of Cocoa (Florida) in the 2025 cycle, who is the top-ranked player in the nation at his position according to 247Sports.

The 6-foot-3.5-inch, 225-pound defender will return to Gainesville for an official visit just in case he has second thoughts on his current commitment with the Florida State Seminoles. Prior to that, he was signed on with the Alabama Crimson Tide, but following Nick Saban’s retirement, he had cold feet on staying in Tuscaloosa and switched to Tallahassee.

Hilson’s visit schedule

Hilson is set to embark on his April tour, with a trip to see the Miami Hurricanes set for April 6 and a return visit to the Tide on April 8 next weekend. The high school junior then heads out to meet with the Colorado Buffaloes on April 27.

As for the edge rusher’s official visit slate, Florida gets first dibs on May 31, followed by Alabama the following weekend and the UCF Knights the weekend after that. FSU wraps the schedule up on June 21 for the final set OV.

Recruiting summary

Hilson is ranked No. 35 overall and No. 1 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 43 and 3, respectively.

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Coveted West Coast offensive lineman takes in Gators during visit

The Gators are one of this big-time offensive lineman’s top six schools.

Billy Napier and the Florida football program played host to a plethora of prep prospects this weekend for the team’s first team scrimmage on Saturday. Among them was a coveted offensive lineman from the other side of the country.

Three-star offensive tackle John Mills out of San Francisco (California) St. Ignatius College Preparatory in the 2025 cycle dropped in to see the action in Gainesville and came away with a much deeper understanding of what the Orange and Blue have to offer him.

The 6-foot-6-inch, 330-pound trench warrior made the most of his time in Hogtown, starting early and pounding the pavement until his departure. Much of that time was spent with the Gators’ coaching staff.

Mills meets Florida’s coaches face-to-face

“We got in a little bit for 8 a.m. on Saturday morning before their meetings got started, so I was able to have breakfast with Coach (Rob)Sale that morning,” Mills tells Swamp247. “We got to sit and talk for about an hour before we went up for their meetings before the scrimmage.

“I got to talk with Coach (John) Decoster for the first time too on Saturday,” he continued.” That was even my first meeting with Coach Sale on Saturday. I had been talking mainly with Coach (Darnell) Stapleton before, but I’ve had many calls with Coach Sale. It was good to get to meet him too and put a face to a name.”

He even got a moment with the big man during a hectic day for the program.

“I got to talk with Coach Napier for a while heading down to the indoor for their walkthrough. It was good to catch up with him, and meant a lot that he took time out of a busy day to talk with me.”

What Mills thought of the scrimmage

“The scrimmage has to be the closest thing to a real game,” he noted. “I liked seeing the stuff they did before. I liked seeing the 1v1’s. Those are my favorite thing to see as far as drills, because you can really see the technique.

“I thought their Bull Gator Drill was awesome too. It was one of the coolest things to see, and they had everyone surrounding it and real hype. It’s like an Oklahoma drill basically, but it was so cool seeing everyone so hyped.

“Then they had a two-hour scrimmage with big hits, some crazy catches, and some crazy throws. I’ve been to a spring practice at Cal, but it wasn’t like that. Florida scrimmage really set the tone and was super cool.”

Upcoming visit schedule

Mills is currently in the midst of his spring itinerary, having visited two of his top six teams so far — the Gators and the California Golden Bears. His other four preferred schools are the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Washington Huskies, Texas Longhorns and USC Trojans.

His official visit schedule kicks off with the Cornhuskers on the weekend of April 27. The Golden Bears are next up on March 23, followed by the Huskies (May 31), Gators (June 7), Longhorns (June 14), and Trojans (June 21).

Recruiting summary

Mills is ranked No. 720 overall and No. 51 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 684 and 51, respectively.

Texas leads the way in On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine with an 83.1% chance of signing the three-star recruit; Nebraska (4.7%), Florida (4.0%) and USC (2.5%) all follow behind, respectively.

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Four-star WR from South Florida high on Gators after visit

Wide receiver Naeshaun Montgomery’s recent visit to the Swamp only has Florida trending up in his recruiting race.

Miami Central wide receiver [autotag]Naeshaun Montgomery[/autotag] paid another visit to the University of Florida this weekend, and he left town with the Gators near the top of his list, according to a Gators Online report.

Montgomery was in town for Florida’s first spring scrimmage, which he got to watch up close. He spent the day with wide receivers coach Billy Gonzalez and said the visit “boosted (the Gators) even higher” in his recruitment.

“From the exact time I got on campus, I was with coach Gonzales the whole day,” said Montgomery. “He had me right next to him when calling plays and showing me how he coaches the receivers.”

Montgomery has plans to return to UF at least two more times over the next few months. The April 13 Orange and Blue Game and an official visit on May 31 are both on the calendar, but more trips could be added.

A list of his top schools could come soon. Florida is likely to make the cut along with Penn State, which is the only other school that has an official visit on the schedule.

Recruiting Summary

Montgomery is a four-star recruit everywhere but the Top247, where he is a three-star talent. The On3 industry ranking has him at No. 188 nationally and No. 23 at his position, while the 247Sports composite puts him at Nos. 128 and 16, respectively.

Florida is on top of the On3 recruiting prediction machine right now with 28.4% odds of landing a commitment from Montgomery, followed by Miami (21.3%), Penn State (15.3%) and LSU (7.7%).

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Gators set to host elite EDGE committed to USC on official visit

Perhaps the best edge rusher in the 2025 recruiting class was in Gainesville this week, and he left town with plans for an official visit.

One of the top flip candidates on Florida’s recruiting board is Warner Robins High (Georgia) edge defender [autotag]Isaiah Gibson[/autotag], who made a verbal commitment to play for the USC Trojans.

Gibson’s pledge to USC came just a week ago, but he already had plans to visit Florida for the first spring scrimmage of the year. He says that he has no plans to de-commit, but Gibson left Gainesville with another official visit on the schedule, according to Swamp247.

“I just set it,” Gibson said of his official visit. “I just set it for the third week. I have Georgia the first week, second week South Carolina, third week will be Florida, and then after that is OU (Oklahoma).”

Recruiting Summary

Gibson is a consensus four-star recruit who will push for five-star status. 247Sports is the highest on him, ranking Gibson No. 17 overall and No. 1 at his position. On3 is almost as bullish, putting him at Nos. 24 and 2, respectively.

ESPN (135, 13) and Rivals.com (244, 17) aren’t as high on him, but he still ranked No. 37 overall on the On3 industry ranking.

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Gators host Auburn DL commit for multi-day visit in effort to flip

Defensive lineman Malik Autry has been committed to Auburn for over a year, but that isn’t slow the Florida Gators down from pursuing him.

Florida’s first spring scrimmage on Saturday was also an opportunity for recruits to stop by and check out the Swamp, including Auburn defensive line commit Malik Autry.

The Tigers earned a verbal commitment from Autry over a year ago, but the Gators are among the teams continuing to push for him. In fact, Florida might be the positioned team to flip Autry, according to a report from 247Sports.

“I’m committed to Auburn, but they’re (Florida) right behind Auburn,” Autry said. “It’s just all a matter of time. After OV’s and everything like that.”

Florida will join Oregon, UCF and USC in hosting him on an official visit over the summer. The Gators get him on June 7.

“I’ve seen everything for the most part,” he said. “Just seeing if everything is consistent, and having a good time, and then going from there.”

The hope is to have things figured out after those official visits. He doesn’t want to take a flip decision into the season.

Recruiting Summary

Autry is a four-star recruit by 247Sports and Rivals’ measures, but ESPN and On3 think he’s a three-star talent.

The On3 industry ranking, which considers all four services, has him listed as a four-star at No. 244 overall and No. 17 at his position, while the 247Sports composite has him even higher at Nos. 184 and 23, respectively.

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Four-star 2025 running back sets June official visit with Florida

The Florida Gators are getting one of the top running backs in the class of 2025, Ousmane Kromah, on campus for an official visit.

Florida uses more than one running back in its offense every year, so pursuing a second rusher in the 2025 class makes a lot of sense, especially when it’s a player as talented as Lee County High’s (Leesburg, Georgia) [autotag]Ousman Kromah[/autotag].

The Gators plan on hosting Kromah at least two more times, including an official visit according to Swamp247. The hope is to get him on campus next week for an unofficial and the official is already penciled in for the weekend of June 14.

Miami (May 31), Florida State (June 7) and Georgia (June 21) are the other official visits on his summer travel schedule right now. He’s running out of slots for the summer, but in-season trips could be added if he’s still undecided.

Recruiting Summary

Kromah is a consensus four-star recruit ranked the highest by On3 at No. 67 overall. His good marks across the board have him even higher on the On3 industry ranking at No. 65 nationally and No. 4 among running backs in class. The 247Sports composite is even higher on him at Nos. 62 and 4, respectively.

Florida State is the favorite to land a commitment from Kromah, with 31.6% odds on the On3 recruiting prediction machine. Georgia (22.2%), Florida (14.4%) and Miami (12.0%) round out the top four.

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Florida impresses 4-star safety on first visit to Gainesville

Four-star safety Jaylan Morgan left his first visit to the Swamp impressed with the Florida Gators coaching staff.

Florida made a strong impression on Rockvale High (Murfreesboro, Tennessee) safety [autotag]Jaylan Morgan[/autotag] during his first visit to the Swamp on Thursday, according to Gators Online.

Will Harris, Florida’s new secondary coach, stopped by Rockvale in January, and the Gators offered him shortly after. This visit was a chance for him to meet the rest of the staff though.

“It was great,” Morgan said. “I’d say it definitely was one of the best visits I’ve been on. Loved the coaching staff. It was my fist time meeting everyone instead of just Harris.”

Morgan is likely to return to Florida on an official visit, but he hasn’t locked in a date just yet.

Recruiting Summary

Morgan earned a four-star grade from 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals.com, but On3 thinks he’s a three-star talent. The 247Sports composite puts him at No. 234 overall and No. 20 at his position, while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 239 and 20, respectively.

The Tennessee Volunteers are the overwhelming favorite to land a commitment from Morgan with 91.5% odds. Vanderbilt (2.8%), Alabama (2.4%) and Ole Miss (1.0%) round out the list.

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Four-star IOL includes Florida in top-8 announcement

Florida made the cut for the four-star interior offensive lineman Marcus Garcia as he trimmed his list down to eight schools.

After receiving more than 30 scholarship offers, Ryan High (Denton, Texas) offensive lineman [autotag]Marcus Garcia[/autotag] cut his list down to eight colleges on Friday.

Florida joins Arkansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Penn State and Texas A&M on the list, according to 247Sports’ Tom Loy.

Garcia has already locked in official visits with five of those programs, Florida being one of the three programs without a date on the calendar.

An official visit could come out of the spring trip to UF Garcia set for April 9.

Recruiting Summary

Garcia is a four-star recruit on Rivals.com and On3, but 247Sports gave him a three-star grade. The On3 industry ranking has him at No. 279 overall nationally and No. 19 among class of 2025 interior offensive linemen, while the 247Sports composite puts him at Nos. 321 and 29, respectively.

The On3 recruiting prediction machine favors Texas A&M to land Garcia, giving the Aggies 20% odds of landing a commitment from him. Michigan (17.5%), Arkansas (11.4%) and Texas Tech (9.5%) round out the rest of the top four.

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