Four-star linebacker Grayson Howard isn’t letting the coaching change at Florida scare him off from the school he fell in love with.
The Jacksonville prospect visited Gainesville and met with the Gators under the old staff and Billy Napier‘s crew has wasted little time getting to know the 6-foot-3-inch, 223-pounder. A good portion of the staff has reached out to him, and Howard said that his strongest relationships are with inside linebackers coach Jay Bateman and defensive analyst Jamar Chaney, according to 247Sports.
The new staff’s efforts have the Gators “firmly in consideration” and Howard appears unphased by the coaching turnover.
“Coaching staff changes happen,” Howard said. “And if I was there and it happened would I still be in love with the school? Florida is a place I could see myself being in a position where I would still be in love with the school.
“It’s a top option.”
Howard will be in town on March 5 to meet with the staff and is looking to get back to the Swamp in the summer. South Carolina and Clemson are also on the travel schedule and are considered the Gators’ top competition as of now for his services. That could change, though, as Howard has over 30 offers to pick from.
There’s still plenty of time left in Howard’s recruitment, but he does hope to keep to somewhat of a schedule. The plan is to have a list of finalists by the end of the school year and to decide well ahead of the December early signing period.
247Sports ranks Howard as the No. 15 linebacker in the country and No. 184 overall. He’s also ranked No. 36 in the state of Florida, and Napier has been prioritizing local talent.
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