Back in June, five-star offensive tackle Samson Okunlola named the Florida Gators to his top nine. Since then, programs like Alabama, Miami and Michigan State have taken center stage in the elite Thayer Academy (Brockton, Massachusetts) recruit’s process, but that doesn’t mean the Gators are out of the race entirely.
The Gators are still actively pursuing Okunlola, according to a report from 247Sports. The team sent assistant offensive line coach [autotag]Darnell Stapleton[/autotag] and running backs coach [autotag]Jabbar Juluke[/autotag] to stop by his school during the bye week, and they pushed the idea of early playing time in the Swamp. Stapleton and offensive coordinator/offensive line coach [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] are his main contacts at UF and they’ve kept in touch with him over the past few months.
“Off the field, they are great dudes and I have been talking to them a lot over time,” Okunlola said of Sale and Stapleton. “They are just great dudes in general. They say I am a major priority for them and a top recruit for them. They said they love my skills. Playing early has always been a great goal of mine. I feel like I could have a chance to play as a freshman there.”
Okunlola has used three official visits so far, one to each of the programs named earlier. The Hurricanes are viewed as the leader right now in this race, but a late trip to Gainesville could change that. While nothing is scheduled right now, Okunlola has talked about taking a visit in November or December.
He’s one of the few remaining uncommitted five-star recruits in the class of 2023, so expect Florida to push hard for him down the stretch. 247Sports has Okunlola at No. 18 overall in its composite rankings and at No. 3 among offensive tackles.
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