Florida might be the favorite to land this 2023 offensive lineman

Billy Napier has his eyes on an offensive lineman from the state of Louisiana and the experts like the Gators’ chances.

With the early signing period approaching, Florida has been busy on the recruiting trail, and it appears that the Gators’ efforts are paying off with De La Salle (New Orleans, Louisiana) offensive tackle [autotag]Caden Jones[/autotag].

247Sports’ director of recruiting, Steve Wiltfong, submitted a crystal ball for Jones in favor of UF Wednesday morning with a confidence level of six out of 10. Jones is still considering Houston, Texas, Texas A&M and Florida State, but Wiltfong feels that Florida has done enough to be considered the favorite in this race.

Jones stands at an enormous 6-foot-8-inches and 305 pounds and fills a position of need for the Gators. Florida flipped four-star guard [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag] from FSU in October and has both [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] and [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag] under commitment, but there’s still a need for a couple more linemen. Five-star tackle [autotag]Samson Okunlola[/autotag] is the other name that keeps being connected with Florida, but Jones is a more reasonable target that could wind up being a developmental piece.

The expectation is for Jones to commit during the All-American Bowl on Jan. 7, so Florida has a bit of time to work on him.

The 247Sports composite ranks Jones at No. 425 overall and No. 33 among offensive tackles in the class of 2023.

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