The Gators are making a hard push for five-star linebacker Harold Perkins, a Cypress, Texas, product who ranks as the top linebacker and No. 5 overall player in the 2022 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite. Though Perkins committed to in-state Texas A&M at the Under Armour All-American Bowl on Jan. 2, he is still fielding interest from a number of other suitors.
Perkins is currently en route to Hawaii to take part in the Polynesian Bowl, and UF’s coaches plan to meet with him once he returns. However, Billy Napier and Co. don’t want to wait that long. While Perkins is out of town, Florida’s coaches plan to visit with his uncle on Monday.
According to On3’s Corey Bender, cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond, co-defensive coordinator Patrick Toney and defensive analyst Jamar Chaney are the coaches expected to be in attendance for that visit.
Perkins is coming off a trip to Gainesville this weekend. He told reporters after the trip that he saw some things he didn’t expect.
“It’s very down-to-earth (here),” Perkins said. “I love the people; the people here are amazing. They show you a lot of love. I always said I wanted to be an x-factor, and that’s kind of how coach Napier sees me.
“The whole visit to wrap it up, it was fun and exciting. I don’t want to say I was surprised, but I didn’t expect to see a lot of the stuff I saw. I didn’t know whether I was going to like it or not, but I love it. It was legit.”
Beating out an in-state team that already holds Perkins’ commitment won’t be easy, but the Gators seem to be decently positioned to make a run at the elite prospect. If UF could secure his pledge, Perkins would become the first top-five prospect to sign with Florida since Martez Ivey in coach Jim McElwain’s transition class in 2015.
UF’s 2022 class currently ranks just 35th nationally and last in the SEC, but that ranking rises to 13th nationally when you factor in transfers, of which the Gators have currently landed six.
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